Do you remember the first time you recognized the importance of sharing? It is not easy for some people, especially for children who are outstanding in almost every respect. When I was a child, I was always one of the top students in my school. I always did well, not only in studying, but also in sports. In the third grade of primary school, I was selected to play basketball on my school team. I had developed some excellent skills, but unfortunately, I seldom passed the ball to my teammates. I held the view that I could beat our opponents without anyone else’s help and that passing the ball to my teammates would not help us win the game. Because I never wanted to take a chance that we would lose!
Making any changes was difficult because I continued to believe that without my skills, the team could not win. We were playing the first game in our county competition. As usual, I played selfishly throughout the game, as I wanted to show off my skills regardless of my teammates. During the first half, our coach tried to make me share the ball, but in the second half when we were 30 points ahead, the coach was certain that I would begin to share the ball with my teammates. But he was wrong. I hoarded the ball and continued to make shot after shot. At last, our coach knew that the only hope for me to change was for our team to lose.
The coach told us that the next game would be very difficult, and we should play as a team, or it would be impossible to beat them. However, the feeling of being a hero was so wonderful that I got carried away with it. So, at the beginning of the next game, I still insisted on playing selfishly. Unlike our previous opponent, they defended fiercely, and I made many mistakes during the game. Consequently, our coach called for a “time out” and instructed all of us, including me, to share the ball. Disappointingly, I didn’t know how to share the ball after so many selfish games. In the end, we lost the game, which resulted in an earthquake in my mind. For the first time in my life, I wanted to change, and that meant sharing the ball with my teammates.
Before the third game, I talked to my coach. I told him that the other teammates could not shoot like I could, and therefore, I could not trust them when I passed them the ball. My coach said that people should learn to trust others and share the ball, and other things in life as well. If I could learn to do this, I would become a much better player and a much better person. So, I began to trust my teammates and share the ball with them in the third game. I couldn’t believe that so many of my teammates were such outstanding players. They just never got the ball to prove it. I immediately recognized that it was my selfishness that prevented them from shining. And what a difference it made for me to begin sharing the ball, as it made the game even more wonderful. As you might have guessed, we won the game, and the overall competition, all because I learned to share the ball.
This wonderful experience caused me to understand the importance of sharing. That was the time that I began to share, not only the ball, but also my life. I learned that when you share something with others, they will also share something with you, and this makes life even more beautiful.
Additional Comments – I am so grateful that my former student learned this lesson early in life. He learned in a dramatic way to share in sports, and that was also the beginning of his commitment to “share life” with others.
I suspect that we have all encountered “stingy” people. For them, even the thought of sharing is like sitting in a dentist’s chair preparing for a root canal! For my wonderful dentist friends who might be reading this blog, please understand that we all realize that the root canal is necessary to relieve pain and arrest infection, so thanks for all you do for us. Anyway, sharing is something that every follower of Jesus should learn to do “from the heart” and never out of compulsion.
Sharing is something that we should all do with those who have material needs. When the crowds came to John the Baptist repenting of their sins and being baptized, they asked, “What shall we do now?” John replied, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same” (Lk. 3:11). And then as Jesus laid out principles for the Kingdom He came to establish, He said, “Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you” (Mt. 5:42).
The Apostle Paul told the Christians in the Church at Ephesus to, “….do something useful with your hands so that you can share with those in need” (Eph. 4:28). And to the young pastor Timothy, Paul instructed him to share with those in his congregation who were wealthy to focus on being “…rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share with others” (1 Tim. 6:18).
James goes so far as to relate “sharing” with “faith.” He says that it is impossible for someone to have genuine faith when there are no deeds to support it. He asks them to suppose that someone without food or clothes comes into their congregation but is sent away with nothing more than a trite, “I wish you well,” providing nothing for their needs. James asks, “What kind of faith is that?” (Js. 2:14-17). James goes on to say that although “works” do not provide salvation (they never have and they never will), they are the natural outflow of a person who possesses a genuine faith.
The writer of the book of Hebrews says that “doing good and sharing” are actually sacrifices, that please God (Heb. 13:16). We should all be aware that every sacrifice we make for others “costs us” something. Doing good to others costs us time that we could be spending doing “our own thing,” and sharing costs us as we bid “farewell” to some personal resources, usually finances, that we could have spent on ourselves. But let’s not forget that when we release them from our grasp, the recipient is being richly blessed, and God is pleased.
Finally, let’s not forget that my student also talked about “sharing life,” and that goes beyond the giving of material possessions. It has to do with sharing life with others as we focus on building meaningful relationships. God made us to be relational beings and not islands unto ourselves. The body of Christ is made up of many different members that need to come together to achieve the common goals of personal spiritual growth as well as spreading the gospel. There are over twenty “one another’s” commands in the New Testament, which means that we are to live in a relational community, encouraging, forgiving, loving, and praying for one another, to name just a few. Just look at these four – each one involves one or more persons with whom you “share” life.
And so, let us all learn to not only share our resources, but also our lives with others. That has always been God’s intention for humanity, and particularly for those who are His children.
