Cast your bread upon the waters, for you will find it after many days (Ecclesiastes 11:1 RSV). We live in a world where such teaching can be very easily misunderstood or misinterpreted. As a young Christian I often struggled to understand the meaning of this Bible verse. It looks as if the Bible is encouraging us to be spendthrifts or to carelessly toss our money or resources. However the truth is that this verse is teaching us about openhanded generosity. Giving is not a natural thing for us humans, because every time we give our mind is conscious of losing something which could be rightfully ours. The philosophy of our generation is as someone said: Get all you can, Can all you get, then sin on the can!”. In one sense this is a very safe and protective idea; you are storing and saving for a possible day of poverty or want.
The usual excuse the world gives is “you never know what the future holds”. It is ironical that this great wise man Solomon says that is exactly the reason why you should be generous and caring when you can. It is the exact opposite of how the world thinks. The world says save when you can because there may be a day when you will need these savings. The Bible says give when you can because there may be a day when you want to give but will have nothing to give. Therefore give when you have more than what you need (trust me, many of us have more than what we need), because there may come a day when you are in need and your generosity will return as a surprise.
The philosophy of our generation is as someone said: Get all you can, Can all you get, then sit on the can!”.
Casting our bread upon the water is like tossing something into the ocean. The ocean waves carry the object and sometimes it brings it back to a shore after many months or years. Casting our bread involves risk; this is not a guaranteed business technique. We do not cast our bread, money or resources because we expect a better repayment; if that is our motive then this is the worst thing to do. But since we believe in a God who runs this world and is commanding us to share, we take the risk and express generosity by casting our bread by faith. I am not suggesting a thoughtless and reckless distribution of our God given resources, but we need to be generous enough to share till it hurts us.
Giving to the wrong person may hurt, but not giving to the right person hurts deeper.
There was a time in my Christian life when I asked too many questions before I helped a person. I had a good intention; I wanted to be a good steward and wanted to make sure my sharing is being used for the right reason. But as days passed by I realized that I actually missed opportunities to bless people who were in dire need. Giving to the wrong person may hurt, but not giving to the right person hurts deeper. It is not easy to distinguish between a person in genuine need and an imposter, but I personally feel that we should really not bother too much about that, if we see a person in need and if God has put you in a position where you can help, just pray and give. This may sound very stupid, but let me tell you a personal experience.
After I came to the US, even though I was a student who barely made enough to meet both ends, I still made a decision to share some of my blessings and I did it randomly whenever I could. After a year when I was moving into an apartment the manager told me that I have to pay an advance of two months to get into the apartment. The rent was $ 800, therefore I needed to pay $ 1600, and we only had around $ 1300. At that point of our lives that was a big amount. My wife and I prayed and were wondering whom to ask for help but told nobody about this situation. After a couple of days I met a total stranger at the church who gave me a check and said “keep this small gift”. I came home and opened the check it was a check for $ 300. I was very much moved by the generosity of this stranger who is now a good friend of ours, but many times when such things happen we are tempted to rationalize and think that this is a great coincidence.
I do not believe in coincidences, I believe in a God who runs the show who decided to surprise me with this gift and taught me why it is important to cast our bread on the water. David Hubbard says “If you shut your ear to the poor, someday you’ll cry alone”. My friends, yes this life is full of surprises and our future is full of uncertainties, but there are many individuals with different kinds of needs right around us, so let us not miss the opportunity to make a difference in somebody’s life today. Remember that giving is a wonderful way of relieving someone (at least partially) from need. “Cast your bread upon the waters,” for in the wisdom and purpose of God it may very well return to you some day when you are in great need.
“If you shut your ear to the poor, someday you’ll cry alone” – David Hubbard
– – Author: Rev. Francis Burgula – –
