Hilarious Living

….more on Jeff

How would you describe your life? Full or empty. Happy or sad. Rich or poor. Fulfilled or lacking. What if you could get up every day and live your like you have always wanted? Rich, happy, satisfied and living life to its fullest.

I think one of the key factors in living life this way is how we give to others. We are all really good at taking what is earned or given us. But when that is turned around how often do we wake up and think about other’s needs instead of our own.

When I think of Jeff I truly think his brain thought this way. In sprite of difficulties and pain he seemed to always see the needs of others as very important. The New Testament teaches us this. “God loves a cheerful giver” ~ 2 Cor 9:7. For the scholars out there familiar with the languages, cheerful most assuredly means “hilarious”. That word to me means LOL, break over and fall down laughing, tears running and snorting and gasping for breath kind of funny.

I witnessed this type of giving from my brother Jeff. He would make a game of it. He would sneek around and do things for others and then run off laughing. Like ringing the doorbell after leaving an envelope full of cash on a porch and then disappearing. His giving was a game. And he got a big kick out of it.

Once we were praying for a guy who was having trouble finding work. Probing Jeff found out that the guy needed a new suit of clothes to help him land a job and couldn’t really afford it. Quitely and annonymously this fellow found himself with several hundred dollars to get him back in tip top shape to find a job.

When others heard about needs they talked, they prayed, they stragegized, they figured out all of the whys and the why nots. Jeff skipped all of this. He just gave.

When things starting getting slow, he was worried about having to let employees go. What did he do? He went to work part time with a friend to fill the gaps. He did this more than once. Lately it was rumored that he had been even driving a school bus to augment his income. But do you think he was ever lacking in his giving to others?

Jeff and I talked many times about how God was big enough for anything we faced in life. Although there were many reasons for Jeff to be sad, he always seemed to find a way to be a hilarious giver.