Does it hurt to give?

I left home to study at a seminary in Pune in 1992, leaving behind a successful IT career. Compelled to serve God, I made a decision never to ask anyone for money to meet my personal needs, but to depend entirely on Him. Every penny mattered to me, and all I had at that time was ₹700. I hadn’t even booked my ticket to Pune yet.

Unsure of how I would survive once that money was exhausted, I went to visit a friend who was studying Social Work and living in a hostel. As I was about to leave, she handed me an envelope and said it was money for my train ticket. I was shocked—she didn’t even know that I needed money.

I was amazed at God’s provision, but what moved me even more was how she had saved that money. She had fasted for 40 days and given me the money she saved by giving up her lunch. I was deeply touched because it truly cost her to help me. It is often easy to give from our abundance, but this young woman, who came from a very humble background and lived a frugal lifestyle herself, found a way to help me within her limited means.

This reminds me of an incident from the Bible. Jesus, while observing people putting money into the temple treasury, noticed a widow who put in just two small coins. He remarked that she had given more than all the others. Though she gave the least in amount, she gave the most in value because she gave everything she had, while others gave out of their abundance. For her, giving was painful; for the others, it was effortless.

I believe God looks at giving very differently from how people do. God does not look at the amount—we look at the amount. God looks at the heart.

One of the reasons people struggle to give generously is a lack of love and concern for one another. We often become selfish and consumed with our own needs and future security. Generous giving is possible only when we learn to trust God to provide for our needs. I am not advocating giving away everything one has, but today we seem to be accumulating more and more—thinking about generations, power, and prestige—while losing our concern for fellow human beings.

Jesus said, “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven… For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Giving, indeed, is a matter of the heart. If our hearts are set on earthly riches, we will hold on tightly to every penny for things that are temporary. But if our hearts are rich in good deeds, generosity will flow naturally.

While Jesus taught extensively about giving, the greatest example He set was in giving Himself completely on the Cross, holding nothing back. He gave till it hurt Him the most—out of pure love. When we model our lives after Him, we can learn to give more generously, not only of our money, but of our very lives.