The longer I live, the more really great people I meet! In fact, I’ve met so many that I have finally concluded that people are really great and generous too!
We Americans are know as very generous people. According to an article in “America Magazine”, “No developed country approaches American giving…. Americans gave, per capita, three and a half times as much to causes and charities as the French, seven times as much as the Germans, and 14 times as much as the Italians….” This study is a bit old, 2006, but I think the message is still the same, Americans are generous.
If you doubt me, just think of all the money Americans gave to Haiti or Japan during the recent earth quakes and how generously they contributed to New Orleans after the great flood. Many people just picked up their phones and sent $5 via “texting” accounts.
Those of us who live in or near Nashville were privileged to donate locally after the May 1st, 2010, flood which devastated so much of our beautiful, Music City.
And, we’re generous not only with money, but also with our time. How many hours have churches and other concerned groups spend helping in foreign countries or in our own cities?
Americans are know for their medical missions. Last summer our church in Brentwood sent almost 100 high school and college students on a work mission to Honduras . Another large group of students worked in the Heart Mission here in the USA. And our church is not unusual in this regard. Many if not most local churches have similar missions for youth as well as adults.
How many of us have helped build Habitat Houses?
Once again, we are more generous with our time than most of our Europeans ancestors. “Americans were 15 percent more likely to volunteer their time than the Dutch, 21 percent more likely than the Swiss, and 32 percent more likely than the Germans. These differences are not attributable to demographic characteristics such as education, income, age, sex, or marital status. On the contrary, if we look at two people who are identical in all these ways except that one is European and the other American, the probability is still far lower that the European will volunteer than the American.” This also from the study in America Magazine.
Many politicians are ready to talk about how much they have give to charity. In 2010 President Obama and Mitt Romney each gave about 14% of their income to charity. And that amounts to a lot of money! But let’s not get too excited about what the very rich give. We all give, and with good results. Remember the New Testament story Mark tells of the widow and the rich peoples contributions.: “41 Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42 But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. 43 Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44 They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44 We are a wonderfully blessed nation. Let’s hope we can preserve it! Remember to vote in November so we can all continue to give and support our favorite charity.