To Buy Is To Give

To buy is to give. This is obvious when we think about it. When we buy something we give our money to someone and in return, they give us what we want - a simple exchange that forms the basis of our complex economic systems. But when we think of “giving”, or when a pastor gets up and says “today’s sermon is on giving”, what first springs to mind is the giving of our money away to someone whose needs are greater than ours, without receiving anything in return - in other words, charity. For giving to be charitable we tend to assume it has to be a sacrifice. This feels right to us. Giving should not primarily benefit us, it should feel like a sacrifice, and it should cause us a bit of pain and loss, should it not?

Well yes, and no.

Firstly, yes, charity should hurt our pockets otherwise it is more akin to tokenism, salving perhaps our own conscience but achieving not much else. When a man gives a pound to a beggar the beggar is not tangibly helped. Instead, his situation may be worse than before if receiving this “gift” keeps him on the streets instead of seeking professional help. When we give charitably, then, it should hurt our pockets and crucially should lead to significant beneficial results in the lives of those we support. This will entail giving more money, and giving with more wisdom, exerting a mental and time-related cost on us as well as financial. This is especially important in times of disaster and emergency - in these situations efficiently channelling the money to where the relief is needed, and to those best situated and equipped to help is paramount. Lives depend on it.

But even in times of emergency, we must still be careful. There are dangers to charitable/relief giving such as when we create dependencies,¹ or when we prevent those we give to from finding their own solutions - solutions which are more likely to suit their actual needs and which can, in turn, build up their future financial resilience and independence. It is critical to remember poverty is not just about not having enough money, but not having the capacity to realise one’s potential as a human being.²