WHAT GOOD IS IT?

For almost 9 months, my co-worker JT and I have been teaching a Nepali worship team each Saturday at our Proskuneo School of the Arts. It all started when the pastor of a local Nepali church brought 5 young people to me and said, "this is our worship team." None of them knew how to play any instruments, but evidently they were willing. And, their church desperately needed musicians. So, it had been decided that this guy would play piano...this girl violin...and so on. And, JT and I were tasked with taking these 5 beginners and turning them into a team that could lead worship at church. It has been slow going. But, we are seeing progress.

This past Saturday, the violin player was making more squeaky notes than normal. So, I went over to her and tried to figure out what was going on. When I played her violin myself, to demonstrate what it was supposed to sound like...it made the same squeaking/squawking sound. Ahhh. Rosin. A simple fix! The bow needs rosin. (Rosin is made from the sap of trees, and when rubbed on the bow hair of a violin, helps the bow to grab the string better.) I had talked to her about rosin once before and at that time, she had none. This time, when I mentioned it, her eyes lit up and she said she had some. I was thrilled to watch her take it out of her case. I took the rosin, opened it, and noticed that the rosin had never been used. I took a key and scratched the surface of the rosin and then began rubbing it on the bow. A snicker of laughter went through the room...

It turns out that someone had given her the rosin. But, she didn't know how to use it, so she had been rubbing her bow hair on the wooden casing for the rosin, not realizing that she wasn't doing anything of value. What good is it to give someone something if you are not willing to make sure they can actually use it? Which reminds me of something that happened to me earlier this year...


I had just finished leading worship at a large church conference in a major city. My friend and I were on our way back to the hotel when Victor, an African-American man, asked us for money. Neither of us had any, so we told him so. He seemed to understand and said "Well, pray for me."
And, so, even though we were already past him, we turned around. I asked him his name. And, I asked him what we could pray for him about specifically. He said, "People assume I am on drugs and I am going to spend the money on some addiction. I just want to get my kids off the street. Pray for some prosperity for me."

Just about this time, a man from the conference came over to Victor and handed him a pack of granola bars. Victor had asked him for money earlier, and rather than give him money, he went to his room and brought back granola bars. He went out of his way. I thought it was pretty kind. (And I have done this same kind of thing before.) The man left, saying, "Those granola bars are from the Lord." And Victor kind of just nodded. And now, looking back, I am pretty sure he also grimaced a little. Then, I put my hand on his shoulder and prayed for him. And I felt for him and with him. And I asked Jesus to do some things on his behalf.

After we prayed, Victor sincerely said, "Thank you." And then, in the next breath, he got kind of stirred up...aggravated...he said, "Man, I hate it that people assume. They make so many assumptions. I wasn't asking for food. That guy brought me granola bars. Look at me, how am I going to eat those?" And, he lifted up his upper lip and showed us that he had no top teeth at all. "How am I gonna eat those? Man...I wish people wouldn't assume."


What good is it to give someone granola bars if they have no teeth? 

What good is it to give people what we think they need without taking the time to find out what they really need?

What good is it to give someone rosin if they will just rub the hair of their bow on the wooden casing? 
 
What good is it to give someone what they need without making sure they can actually use it?

Is our desire really that our gifts benefit the ones who receive them? Or, if we are honest, is the giving really about us?