Saturday, October 27, 2012

Generosity

This post was originally written for Pathways earlier this month.



For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.  Yes, you will be enriched in every way so that you can always be generous.  2 Corinthians 9:10-11


In 1946 a simple man from a modest upbringing started a business in a suburb of Atlanta, and for many years his business had slow but steady growth.  The man set out to honor God with his business, and based all of his business practices on biblical principles.  In 1981 my father went into business with this man.  The work was demanding, but rewarding.  

Unfortunately, a year later my father had still not realized a profit.  We lived in a rented home, and had all but exhausted our life savings.  My dad requested a meeting with his business partner, traveled to Atlanta and explained that even though he was proud of the business and loved what he was doing, he would not be able to support his family much longer.

His partner, the founder of the business told him he was doing a great job, to be patient, work hard and continue to grow the business.  He then took out his checkbook and wrote my dad a check.  As he handed the check to my dad he asked him if it would be enough to see us through.  My dad looked at the amount, and said yes sir.  I’ll probably never know the amount of that check, but I’ll never forget the impact it had on my family.

My dad went on to a 27 year career, and retired very successfully.  

The founder of the company has grown the business from one location to over 1600, and 2011 annual sales were over 4 billion dollars.  He operates 12 foster homes, a camp for boys and girls, a marriage enrichment center, and has given millions of dollars in college scholarships to employees.  He has taught sunday school to 13 year old boys for more than 50 years, and he created a foundation that will touch young lives well into the future.  

He does all of this without any fanfare, and no desire for recognition.  He does this because he knows all he has actually belongs to God, he is simply God’s manager.  God continues to richly bless his business.