This post talks aboit giving, how and why. It contrasts the self-awareness of generosity, illustrated through characters like George Bailey from “It’s a Wonderful Life” and Ebenezer Scrooge from “A Christmas Carol.” Both highlight life’s impact through generosity.
updated December 20, 2025
“Watch out! Don’t do your good deeds publicly, to be admired by others, for you will lose the reward from your Father in heaven.
When you give to someone in need, don’t do as the hypocrites do—to call attention to their acts of charity! ….they have received all the reward they will ever get.
But when you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.
Give your gifts in private, and your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
Have you ever made a charitable donation online or by mail, where they asked you to check a box “make my donation anonymous”? is that what the Bible means by “giving gifts in private”.
And be rewarded?
The Bible scripture passage quoted above, from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, seems to tell us we should give in secret, not letting anyone else know.
But Bible scholars interpret it less literally. Considering it in the context of the whole sermon, they suggest we shouldn’t give just to impress people nor brag about what we give, not that it always has to be secretive (although sometimes it should be.)
Giving from the Left or Right
I don’t think Jesus was making a political statement here. Nor was he just using hyperbole, an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally. But I do think he was using it to make a point.
Because not knowing one side of one’s body is a real thing.
Hemispatial Neglect
People with the syndrome of hemispatial neglect experience reduced awareness of stimuli on one side of space. This may occur after damage to the brain due to a stroke or trauma.
People with hemispatial neglect are often unaware of their condition. Friends or relatives might suggest they look to their neglected side but that instruction misunderstands the problem they have with navigating the space around them… people are not aware that something is missing, so why would they seek it out?
A single image of a human brain using a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine.
Source: Dr. Leon Kaufman. University Of California, San Francisco
Creator: Unknown Photographer
used courtesy National Cancer Institute
So imagine not knowing what’s on the left side of your body. Well, that’s how generous we should be; give (as if) we don’t know what we gave.
(Obviously, if we take that too literally, and waste our money,we limit our ability to be generous; we still need to be financially prudent. )
The man who didn’t know what he had given
Every year at Christmas time a classic movie makes its way to network television and streaming services. Like many famous movies, the script was adapted from a book, or rather a short story titled “The Greatest Gift”.
George was a man who had a good life until things started going wrong, so badly that he concluded his life had been a failure and he had never done anything right or good in his entire life. He even contemplated suicide.
That is until a mystery “person” came along and showed him how the world would have been without George’s life and good deeds. Poverty, crime, unemployment, alcohol abuse, and even deaths would have occurred had it not been for George’s life. And he had no idea!
His left hand didn’t know what his right hand had done.
Of course you know I’m talking about George Bailey from the classic movie It’s a Wonderful Life, released in January 1947, nominated for 5 Academy Awards, and considered one of the best films ever made. But most people like it because it’s a feel-good movie that can make you laugh and cry.
Of course, Ebenezer Scrooge of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol didn’t have George’s problem. He knew exactly what he had done to help others-nothing!
It took dying (almost) and three scary visitors to show Ebenezer how stingy his hands had been, never giving anything away, and convincing him that generosity was better than miserliness and loneliness. At the end of the story, both of his hands were busy passing out food and gifts to strangers, friends, and family.
Here is a post about Charles Dickens, a renowned English writer, of “A Christmas Carol” and “The Pickwick Papers.” His storytelling introduced terms like Pickwickian syndrome, reflecting his influence on culture and health. Dickens also advocated for children’s hospitals through powerful speeches, merging his literary talent with social responsibility .
Therefore, because God is so generous to us, we’re to be lavishly generous to others. Who has been “lavishly generous” to you?
Sharing the HEART of generosity and giving
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The four Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John- relate the life of Jesus, but only Matthew and Luke tell the story of his birth and their versions differ. Luke tells about the trip to Bethlehem and the shepherds’ visit. Matthew misses the Bethlehem journey and the shepherds, but from him we meet the wise men- the Magi.
updated December 16, 2024
I didn’t believe it had been four years since I first published this post. And what I wrote is true this year for different reasons.
It’s been a difficult year, not because of a viral pandemic that sickened and killed many people. But people have been harmed by financial strain, weather disasters, wars, and political upheaval.
More than ever, we need to give each other wise gifts.
The Nativity of Christ
Whether you go to a Christian church or not, you likely are familiar with the Christmas story in the Bible as it is depicted in the Nativity. Nativity is a fancy way to say “birth,” but is especially used to refer to the birth of Jesus Christ.
A young couple named Mary and Joseph traveled to Bethlehem for the Roman census.
Mary, pregnant, unexpectedly delivered a baby boy there, in a barn, the only available accommodation on short notice
Local shepherds, directed by angels, came to visit the baby.
And “three wise men”, following a star, came to visit bearing expensive gifts.
Except that’s not exactly how the Bible tells it. The four Gospels- Matthew, Mark, Luke, John- relate the life of Jesus, but only Matthew and Luke tell the nativity story and their versions are different.
Luke tells about the trip to Bethlehem and the shepherds’ visit. Matthew misses the shepherds, but from him we learn about the Wise Men.
Most Bible versions call them wise men, a translation of the Greek word Magi, used in the New International Version. The Message Bible calls them “a band of scholars” which might be the most accurate as none of the versions indicate there were only three.
Nor did they visit the barn. Matthew indicates they came to the house, to visit the “child”. So perhaps this was as much as two years later.
The Gifts of the Magi
But however many there were and whenever they arrived, they brought three gifts-gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
The magi, as you know, were wise men—wonderfully wise men— who brought gifts to the newborn Christ-child. They were the first to give Christmas gifts. Being wise, their gifts were doubtless wise ones.
O. Henry
Medicinal Gifts
In a previous post I told you about William Sydney Porter, the author of a story named The Gift of the Magi. Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell the story here, I don’t want to spoil it if you’ve never read it.
I assume William, the real name of O. Henry, must have known this Bible story. Why else would a druggist, ranch hand, magazine editor, and convicted felon write a story about Magi?
As a druggist (although of uncertain credentials) I suspect he knew of the medicinal properties attributed to gold, frankincense, and myrrh. We think of gold’s value in terms of money, but 2000 years ago, people probably valued healing substances more than money.
As I write this, scientists are working around the clock studying medicines and vaccines to slow, cure, and prevent the ravages of SARS-CoV-2, a pathogen the world has never encountered before and the likes of one we never want to deal with again. By the time you read this over 50 million people worldwide will have become infected with this novel virus which will have killed 1.5 million of them.
Update note: According to John Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center,as of March 10, 2023,
Total cases -676,609,955
Total deaths-6,881,955
The world needs healing this year. People have suffered through several pandemics since the time of Christ’s birth. Imagine how frightening the plagues were when science couldn’t explain the source of disease, much less how to prevent it. Even as recently as the influenza pandemic of 1918, how it spread was not understood, and medicines to treat it didn’t exist.
Spiritual Gifts
Christian scholars also attribute spiritual significance to the Magi gifts. Among the many references I reviewed, this one sums up the general consensus.
“gold can be taken to symbolise royalty and kingship; frankincense divinity and holiness; and myrrh suffering and death.”
Although we have no record to indicate O. Henry thought of the gifts in spiritual terms, he conveyed an unexpected and ironic picture of what “wise gifts” are.
Perhaps the wisest gifts we can give this year of loss, friction, unrest, blaming, pain, sickness, and death are understanding, patience, listening, caring, generosity, forgiveness, friendship, and love.
It’s worth reading, or re-reading the story; watching or listening to it. Do it before you start Christmas shopping; you may change some of your choices. And we should all thank William, aka O.Henry, for leaving us the gift of
Please share this post as a gift to friends. Thanks.
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Dr. Aletha
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William Sydney Porter was a writer whose tales explored the meaning of life through irony. Born in 1862, he faced personal tragedies and accusations of embezzlement, leading to prison. There, he honed his writing skills, producing over 600 stories before succumbing to addiction and illness in 1910. But before he died he left the world…
watercress words by Dr Aletha 