BEING A PERSON WHO OPENS THE DOOR FOR OTHERS
Tunji grew up watching his parents give with a smile on their faces and joy in their hearts. His father was always ready to offer a hand of support; his mom had a knack for sharing foodstuffs, and they did this without expecting anything in return. Soon enough, in his own little ways, Tunji started giving; he gave out extra pencils, helped explain questions, and always offered a hand of support whenever his friends called on him, stepping in to defend or put in a good word for them whenever he could.
Eventually, Tunji’s life became a chain of blessings: the more help he offered others, the more favoured he became with blessings, making his life a scriptural enactment of blessings.
This cannot be said of Adebayo, who has always been tightfisted. It takes him weeks to consider assisting someone; by the time he comes around, the need has de-escalated. He never gave his money, not to the beggar on the street or to God. All he had belonged to him alone; he never considered others. His mantra goes, “I’m working, and I must eat,” and eat, he did, like a gluttonous fellow whose hunger could never be abated.
Not having room to consider anyone but himself once money greased his palms made him live from hand to mouth. This led to hardship, difficulty in meeting other pressing needs, loneliness because he could not be depended on by family or friends and a constant string of hardship in his life. Things were hard for Adebayo, and he was only just getting started.
It is a blessing to see everyone around you winning and a concern to see them struggling. While we are destined to live comfortably, we are also called to extend the blessing given to us to others around us. You cannot live with a tight fist and expect things to go well with you; life and the covenant of giving and receiving don’t work that way.
Let’s draw instruction from Bishop Oyedepo, who said, “You cannot live for yourself and have things go well with you.” To live for yourself is an attempt at a slow, lonely death.
If you only consider yourself in all your actions, then no one will consider you in return. Whenever you are faced with an opportunity to show support and kindness to another, take it joyfully.
Let’s try out this classic example given by Pastor David Oyedepo Jnr. many years ago
Hold out your hand, with your palm facing up. Ball it into a fist for a few seconds. You will notice that your hand begins to generate heat. Now, loosen the fist and open your palm. You will immediately feel cool air on it. That is how your life will be if you’re tightfisted or generous with what you have—your life will be hot or cool, as the case may be.
Giving is not limited to financial assistance alone. You can give your time to someone by offering to help them move house, take care of their children, or clean their home while they recover from an illness. You can offer a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or words of encouragement; you can also offer to give them a career or business boost by name-dropping around relevant individuals.
It takes nothing from you to put in a good word for your friend in a place you know they don’t have access to. If someone getting an offer is heavily dependent on their presentation, step up to assist them with clothes that will boost their appearance, take them shopping if you have to, let them use your car for a big interview, and help them prepare for what they will face.
Not forgetting about our case study here: Ashpenaz. Who was he?
Ashpenaz was responsible for selecting and training exiled Israelite noble youths—including Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah—for service in the Babylonian palace (Daniel 1:3-4). His position in the Babylonian king’s court enabled Daniel and the three Hebrew boys to avoid defiling themselves with the king’s delicacies.
If you happen to be in a position of influence, use it for the good of others, as Ashpenaz did. God gives you resources and puts you in positions so that you can give to others and bless them, not so you can fill your purse and indulge in gluttony in every shape and form. He put you ahead so you can help others trying to find their way in life, not so you can sit on top and look down at those struggling.
To further enunciate this, let’s draw from Proverbs, the book of wisdom.
[24] There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; And there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. [25] The liberal soul shall be made fat: And he that watereth shall be watered also himself. – Proverbs 11:24-25 KJV
You can’t be a hoarder and expect things to go well in your life. Whether you hoard your gifts, talents, resources, money, connections, or knowledge, you will end up rotting and losing your value. But if you share, enrich, impact, and bless others as you receive, you can expect the best things in life to happen to you through God’s hand on your life and the returns from the goodness you’ve done for others.
Remember, it is more blessed to give than to receive. If God placed you on earth to live for yourself, you wouldn’t have experienced human community; instead, you would have been dropped off in a remote location to enjoy the fruit of your labour alone.
Live to bless those around you, bless the generation after you and bless the One who placed you on earth.