In silence

Matthew 6:1-4 says, 

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.”

I write this story to tell about a few people I know that live by this verse. Every Christmas there are several families around Oklahoma that receive Christmas gifts anonymously. I’m sure this goes on all over the world, but I’ve seen firsthand how giving to those in need works miracles. 

A few years ago a young man fresh out of active duty military service wanted to put a flag pole up in his front yard. He needed help hoisting it up in the air, so his wife helped him lift the heavy metal flag pole. They got too close to a power line and the electricity arced without them ever actually touching the wires, both of them had to be life flighted. In an instant they went from a two income family to both being severely injured. They had small kids at home as well. 

It didn’t take long and they got behind on all of their bills. A neighbor parked his tractor on top of their water meter so the water department couldn’t turn their water off. The word got out around the community that they needed help paying their utilities and buying groceries. A local man that had a construction type business secretly sent several hundred dollars to the young veteran and his wife. He wasn’t known for helping out in the community. He wasn’t the type to attend community events. He worked hard, saved every penny he made and built a nice house. To this day not one person in that small town knows he was the one that kept their bills paid. 

Another man in another part of the state owns a large corporation, in fact you’ve probably been to one of the his stores, it’s that big. The corporate policy is they don’t make donations to individuals, only nonprofits such as Boy Scouts or the Red Cross. However, the man that owns the company sends food to people in his community. It doesn’t have to be Christmas or a holiday, if he learns about a family with a genuine need he doesn’t ask questions. He merely has his assistant deliver food, medicine or whatever else is needed. 

Another well to do man and his wife in northeast Oklahoma asked at a deacon’s meeting one night why the deacons were even having a discussion about whether or not to help a young couple that had only came to their church a couple of times. The young couple needed a few hundred bucks to make it until their next paycheck. That well to do couple forked the money over that night at the deacons meeting and helped that young couple. 

Today the veteran and his wife that were electrocuted are college graduates. They both teach school and are known for helping students that don’t have much. 

Likewise, the young couple in northeast Oklahoma that were helped by the church members own a small business in Tulsa today. Their business makes donations every week to organizations in their community. 

There are many people that give in silence, not wanting recognition for what they do. I know some of these people well. I’ve been the delivery person a couple of times and I’ve been sworn to never reveal the names of the people that sent me to help someone in need. So, I write this story to honor their silence. Some things in life are best kept a secret as the Bible commands. It’s good to give in silence and expect nothing in return. The lord knows, and that’s enough. 

James Lockhart lives near the Kiamichi mountains in southeast Oklahoma. He writes cowboy stories and fools with cows and horses.