Charity, what is it really?

We hear all the time about people making charitable donations and doing acts of charity. Are these things actually charity or something else?
Well, to find out we need to define charity or at least scratch the surface. I have had the privilege over the past few weeks with a small class I am teaching to teach on this subject, Charity. What I have gleaned and what God has taught me and of course those amazing life examples that end up in my story bank. If you were to ask an ancient teacher what charity is, the definition would go like this. Charity happens when not only the need is addressed but other things are added that would be a benefit to the one receiving the act of charity. Let’s give an example of what the ancients called charity. A young man notices a neighboring single mom that is struggling to feed her two kids. The young man overhears a conversation about there being a need for basic foodstuff and the food bank day is four days away. so he decided that he would help out the family. He went and got them the basic food items that she had said she needed to feed herself and the children. At this point, he was just meeting the needs. She had talked about some favorite foods that her kids liked. So he decided to get a couple of the dessert items too. At this point, he was doing an act of charity. He had already met the need. Now he was going beyond the necessary items and getting something that was not needful but was helpful. He was now giving an act of charity.
He was full of great joy as he paid for the items. He took them back and put them by her door. Knocking lightly then went off to work whistling and feeling very good inside.
This was the completion of a beautiful act of charity. Some would say that he missed the point and should have stayed till the door was opened so that he could have been thanked. True acts of charity most of the time is an anonymous act going past the need and fulfilling the wants and desires of the one being given too. The reward of this act comes from the joy and the feeling we get from doing it. This, of course, means that the first few acts of true charity have to be giving acts to ourselves so that we are full and giving from our overflow.
I do understand that seeing charity in this fashion may be new to you and may be stretching your opinion of what charity is. All I ask is to keep your mind open and your heart also and give it a try, Maybe even an endeavor and see how you feel doing the act of charity like I have described.
Please leave a post on your acts of charity that you decide to do and how it worked in your life 🙂