What I've Learnt About Giving Since Covid-19

Giving is for life, not just for lockdown. Generosity isn’t just “when I have the money” or “if I have the time”. During this season, I’ve learnt that it’s a lifestyle.

Seasonal giving is the norm, whoever you are and however much you have to give. People are automatically moved to give more at Christmas, whether they know the person or not. Yet Covid-19 has taught me that generosity has to exist all year round – no exceptions. The pandemic has now caused millions to be out of work, potentially losing their homes as well as their jobs.

I was on the tube recently when a man got on my carriage and started asking people for money. I don’t usually carry change and therefore had nothing to help him out with. Initially I was engrossed in my phone, so I wasn’t aware until he made a desperate plea to a carriage of deaf ears, claiming that he had no family and was finding things really hard at the moment. It’s always good to be alert and cautious of fraudsters who will take advantage of people’s good nature, but this man’s desperation (whether real or for show) really moved me, especially when he slumped down on the floor near one of the carriage doors – apparently unsuccessful in his mission.

I made a commitment to pray for him, that his situation would turn around and God would bless and provide for him. Though I didn’t have any spare change, it made me feel that I was at least doing something to help through the power of prayer.

In times of crisis it’s natural to be more aware of those in need – particularly when struggling to find basic necessities as many of us experienced at the start of lockdown. Toilet roll and pasta seemed like a luxury item. I remember feeling amazed if I managed to get the last loaf of bread in a supermarket. Thankfully, my ability to find all the items I needed during those three months was because of the Lord’s provision.

I remember having a very real fear that I would run out of food and toiletries when staring at empty shelves in my local Tesco, and as I had never gone without before, it was a very unnerving position to be in.

The next morning I got up, threw some clothes on and headed to Boots in the hope of finding some soap. The shelves were completely bare, and my anxiety grew. It wasn’t until my housemate and I made a trip to a shopping centre that I happened to miraculously stumble across some bottles in a health food shop (albeit quite expensive ones). Just like the widow whose jar of oil never ran out, that liquid soap is still going strong.

If it wasn’t for God blessing me with the essentials I needed when I needed them, what would I have done? Being personally faced with the reality of need has made me so much more aware of the struggles of homeless people in my local area asking for change, or the man on the tube whose apparent circumstances drove him to beg strangers for money.

God’s generosity and provision towards me during Covid-19 has made me want to extend that generosity to those who don’t know where their next meal or toilet roll is coming from. It’s motivated me to be more active in my giving where previously I was passive.

Knowing that God will always have my back when it comes to the little things in life encourages me to put the words of Matthew 10:5-8 into action: ‘Freely you have received; freely give.’