The Challenge of Being Kicked in "the ask"

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 

So then, whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all and especially for those of the family of faith.

                                          Galatians 6:9-10

 If you are a driver in Ontario you received the Commissar Dougie vote bribe cheque before the provincial election. It was framed as a licence plate sticker rebate for hard working Ontarians but it seemed like vote-buying to me, and it took more than a billion dollars out of provincial coffers. This is money which could have been used to, say, assist those living below the poverty line or reboot the Guaranteed Livable Income pilot program or put air-conditioning in nursing homes. In still makes me angry. 

The amount we received in two cheques seemed suspiciously high but phone conversations with our MPPs office assured me that the total was correct. We decided to give the money to various causes: two church meal ministries, our local congregation, the Green Party of Ontario (a deliberate poke in the premier's eye) and a turtle rescue program we support yearly. We have a number of charities and ministries we support, some 'ligous, some environmental, including our regular Pre-Authorized remittance to our congregation. We also respond to emergency appeals as we're able. 

As a child my mother explained why she put money in the church envelopes each week, even though I thought it would be a better idea to give it to me. Over time I came to appreciate that financial generosity was an essential aspect of the Christian life. 

I tell you this because of the more recent challenge of giving, then being asked to give...and give...and give by some of thoses organizations. It used to be letters in the mail, but now it usually happens online. We realize that we pause before making donations to anything new, not because of the worthy cause itself, but the follow-up which can seem guilt-inducing and oppressive in combination with all the others. 

It's not as though we're being chastised. In fact the appeals almost always express gratitude for our previous support and invite us to be part of something worthwhile. And God knows they deserve our assistance, especially in such challenging times. If anything our local congregation and the meal ministries are least likely to ask, yet they are hard-pressed because of the effects of the pandemic, and the need is huge. It's just that it can feel heavy at times and it seems that more and more organizations have discovered how to contact us and let us know how we can make a difference.  

We don't have an ounce (gram?) of regret for the contributions we have made through the years and it is a part of Christian discipleship. The choice to give isn't about what we'd do if we won the lottery (we don't buy tickets) as people often suggest. We figure we have won the lottery by our happy accident of birth into a prosperous nation where we have always enjoyed a decent standard of living with discretionary income. I'm not sure if there is an answer to the growing number of "asks" other than to "not grow weary in doing what is right."