The Role a Chicken Played in Teaching Me About Generosity

One of the highlights of my five years in Cru’s music ministry was our overseas tours. To maximize our outreach, our band often did two concerts a day. One day in Kenya included a late-morning high school program followed by an afternoon break and an evening church concert. One of the Ethiopian-born Cru staff couples was aware of our open afternoon and kindly invited us to have lunch at their modest house.

When we arrived, we quickly assessed the situation. There were nine of us in the band, one American Cru staff person, and the two Ethiopian staff members for a total of 12 people. The buffet meal they had prepared consisted of a large bowl of rice, some vegetables, a dressed salad, and a single chicken cut up into small pieces. We quickly recognized that one chicken wouldn’t go very far feeding twelve people, so went very light on the meat.

As I was going through the line, I thought through the rest of the day’s schedule and figured there was just enough time between the time we returned from lunch and when we would have to leave for the evening concert setup for me to slip over to the KFC restaurant next to our hotel and get a “real” meal.

On the way back to the hotel, the American staff member surprised us by saying, “You probably don’t realize what this staff couple did for you. The standard of living for African staff members is so modest that they typically can only afford to have meat once a week. And they shared their weekly meat meal with you.”

I felt terrible. Rather than appreciate the thoughtful meal laid out in front of us, I had been preoccupied by figuring out how I could really fill my belly.

In my defense, I was brought up with a “scarcity mentality,” so I am not naturally predisposed to generosity. Growing up, I heard many stories from my elderly relatives about how difficult it was living through the Great Depression and how they had to constantly scrimp just to stay afloat. Added to this was my own experience being raised by a single mom. We never missed a meal, but things were so tight that we rarely could afford cookies, ice cream or any other “splurge” foods. Our big “treat” beyond our basic meals was one orange a day each.

But this background is no excuse. Recently, I’ve tried to make an effort to step up my generosity game, especially with people who are less fortunate than I am. That extra $5 I add to the restaurant tip certainly means more to the hard-working server than it does to me. God has blessed me in so many ways that I should be willing to be a conduit of blessing to others.

As you think about your own generosity, let me remind you that it can involve more than just your money. I fully realize how packed everyone’s schedule is, and I don’t say this to add any guilt. But you should look for ways to be generous with your time as much as is reasonable, jumping in to minister to the people God places in your path. Beyond paying for the care of poor man left bleeding on the side of the road, the Good Samaritan interrupted his schedule to get personally involved. The religious elite who passed by the victim weren’t willing to provide any assistance at all (Luke 10:25-37).

One word of caution. Generosity must be balanced by responsibility. I have occasionally heard of people who impulsively give away so much that they neglect their financial obligations.

Of course, my lesson on generosity didn’t really come from the chicken. It came from the staff couple. But the chicken was what prompted the lesson. Writing this article is a good reminder to me that I can do more to pass along the generosity God has shown me.