The Interesting thing about Generosity

September 20...

This past week, St. Michael's had some guests from the UK. They were visiting various projects initiated by the Anglican Church in Tanzania and stopped in at the school for a few days. I had to admit, that it was pretty nice to have some English speakers around to chat with and it was great for my confidence to be around people who knew even less Swahili than me!

When they arrived they had lots of questions about life in Tanzania and even though I've only been here two weeks, I found myself giving a whole ream of answers. And while they had come pretty well prepared for their stay here, they still needed a few things and much to my surprise I found myself offering everything I could. I say surprise not because I was never taught to be kind to strangers or generous to those in need, but rather I was surprised at how immediately friendly I was and willing to help them. You see, I categorize myself as an introvert (though that may come as a shock to some) and if I'm really honest, I would call myself an introvert who masquerades as an extrovert.

Don't get me wrong, I love being with people and telling stories and jokes to get a laugh but being extroverted in a group takes a lot out of me which then forces me to retreat to find time to recharge away from people. And I think that's the real demarcation of introvert vs. extrovert. I've found that extroverts recharge by being with people. For them, down time is spent in the company of a lot of friends and being pretty active. Introverts on the other hand, re-energize on their own or with a few very close friends. And that is me.

Getting back to generosity. I was amazed how quickly I was offering my help to these newcomers to St. Michael's. When I thought about it later, I think my reaction would have been different had the Wingfields not treated me so well upon my arrive to Tanzania. They modelled exceptional generosity and kindness when I came to this country and I think that left an impression on me. Because I experienced such kindness, I knew how important it was and so, in turn, I offered it to others.

Maybe this like the Christian walk in general: when we interact with Christians who really strive to show Christ's love in all circumstances we can't help but be influenced and have our behaviour affected. Likewise, we should realize the impact we have on others whether they're Christians or not, and understand that when we live like Christ did we're helping others live like Him too. And what happens then can be summed up in the words of a certain bumper sticker I know: Love Wins.