Autumn Joy toddled across the room and stood at the edge of my laptop-centered view. I was in task mode, typing away in my living room recliner. With Shirley Temple curls bouncing around her face, my eighteen-month-old daughter looked up at me. I looked at her. Then she handed me a Plastic Donut from her kitchen play set. 

So I put the Donut up to my mouth and said with great animation, “Yuuum, yuuum…thank you, Autumn! This is soooo goood.” 

Then something beautiful happened. Her big brown eyes widened and her lips pushed a giant smile against her puffy cheeks. She stood up on her toes and let out a high-pitched squeal. 

After soaking in the experience for a few seconds, she ran back to her kitchen and brought me a little pink spoon. Again, I responded, showing her my approval. This cycle continued a few more times as I began to collect plastic pieces from her kitchen set.

For Autumn, this gift exercise kept bringing her back to Daddy. For me, it kept me looking for my child’s return. I was moved by the exchange. The interaction. The connection. I was so pleased.

The AHA Moment

At that moment the thought occurred to me, could this be how our giving feels from God’s perspective?  Are our gifts to Him like Plastic Donuts?

After all, God does not need our gifts or our money. But like a father moved by a gift from his child, perhaps our gifts really can get His attention.  Suddenly, I saw giving from a different perspective. This fresh, biblical perspective is now bringing churches together onto the same page.

Gifts of the Past

We learn that as early as Cain and Abel, God was quite interested in the gifts of His children.  When God “accepted Abel and his gift”, the original Hebrew text (sha’ah) suggests that God paid attention to and gazed at Abel’s gift in a special way. 

Throughout biblical history, God has shown great interest in certain gifts from His children.  Like Plastic Donuts to a little girl’s daddy, these gifts to the heavens prompted reactions from God. 

Gifts Today

Often when we give today, we don’t envision God sitting at His chair in heaven desiring to gaze at us and our gifts.  Because giving is a transactional exercise too, it’s easy to miss the relational experience that goes with it.

The offering plate passes. The appeals hit the mailbox.  Everywhere we turn around, needs and requests are there.  The need to respond can seem overwhelming at times.  Talking about giving can seem daunting, as well.

But we must not forget the primary recipient of our gifts…God.  Meeting needs is secondary.  Pleasing God is primary.  This should be comforting to us.  It’s a breath of fresh air for leaders and the congregations they serve.

…and Challenge, too

Of course, this perspective brings great challenge as well.  Approaching God is no small matter.  We learn from the gifts of Cain and Abel that not all gifts are the same to God.  Some gifts do not get His attention.  Sadly, Cain’s gift did not. 

King David knew that gifts mattered to God.  Someone offered him the materials for a burnt offering for free.  But David refused, saying, “I will not offer to the Lord my God burnt sacrifices that cost me nothing.” (2 Samuel 24:24)  David knew that when the amount of the gift matters to the giver, it can matter to God also. 

Remember the Perspective

As you continue giving, keep this new perspective in view.  Our gifts can do a lot of good.  They can feed the hungry, heal the sick, encourage the brokenhearted, and spread the good news. But most importantly, they can please God in heaven, connecting His children to Him.

Connecting you and Him.  Bringing a smile to His face.

Remember that.

Want to hear more about how the message of Plastic Donuts can change the culture of giving in your church?  Preview the book and its supporting materials, or order a 5-pack for your staff by clicking here.