Timothy's Cards
My eight year old son, Timothy, has always had a big heart. I can recall several occasions in which after hearing a story of someone in need, he was moved to do something about it. He has often questioned the response of inactivity in the church and in our family. So it did not surprise me that after learning about the BOLD generosity initiative, Timothy was anxious to roll up his sleeves. He is also a creative kid. He has never been discouraged by a lack of age, experience, skills, or resources. If there is not a clear path for how to make something happen, he will create one.
During the summer, when Timothy is not playing baseball, he spends his time coming up with creations in the kitchen. He often enjoys turning homegrown berries into jam. In late-July he worked really hard to pick as many black berries and raspberries as he could. He spent an entire day preparing them and following a recipe. When the process was complete, he had a single pint jar of mixed berry jam. After all of his hard work, it was never a question; that jam was not to be consumed, it was to be sold at the market stand at church on Sunday, and the proceeds would go to the church. The fact that he is only eight years old was not going to stop him from contributing. That Sunday morning he was excited to head to church with his jar of jam in one hand and his bible in the other. As we were heading for the church entrance I heard the unmistakable sound of glass shattering on the concrete. It wasn’t only the glass that shattered in that moment, it was also Timothy’s generous spirit.
Later that day Timothy was enjoying his other creative outlet – drawing. He has learned to combine his loves of baseball and drawing by creating hand-made baseball cards of his favorite players. Before the sting of the broken jar of jam had fully worn off, he realized that his hand-made baseball cards were another opportunity. He spent the next month diligently creating a set complete with all of the Milwaukee Brewers players. In September he mailed the entire set along with a hand-written note to the Milwaukee Brewers, requesting that they autograph each card and return them to be sold – the proceeds going toward the BOLD initiative.
While these stories are cute, we should not make the mistake of dismissing them as irrelevant or insignificant. These stories are an example of the childlike faith that we are commissioned to display by Jesus himself. It is through faith, generosity, and creativity that we disregard potential barriers, and display true BOLDNESS.