Written by Ryan Freshman

Giving is often considered big things, but when I remember where this gift first showed up for me, I remember a candy bar and a drink.

As a kid at Camp Moses Merrill, I spent weeks saving so I’d have “enough” money for the Snack Shack. In my young mind, that money was everything!

One afternoon a girl was accidentally injured at the pool and had to leave camp early. I stood there feeling something I couldn’t describe (now I recognize it as the Holy Spirit’s prompting). I felt led to buy her a candy bar and a drink with my precious Snack Shack money. It wasn’t much. Nobody applauded. It didn’t change her situation. But it cost me something—and I remember the joy.

What started as a candy bar became a lifestyle.

Years later in line at a gas station, I noticed a young woman fumbling through her wallet, short on money. I knew what I was supposed to do. Pay for it. But I didn’t. I walked out. I missed it.

I didn’t feel condemned—just convicted. I had asked God to use me that morning—and chickened out. I felt prompted to go back in so I did. When I got there, someone was already paying for her.

That moment changed me. The Holy Spirit gently reminded me He doesn’t need me to accomplish His purposes. He was caring for her before I noticed and would continue whether I participated or not.

God doesn’t need us to build His Kingdom. He invites us into it. Giving isn’t about money—it’s about obedience, hearing His voice and responding. The same voice that prompted a little boy at camp was still speaking years later. The question was never whether God could provide—it was whether I wanted to partner with Him when He did.

Weekly Reflection Questions

1. When you hear another speak of a need or even of a desire, how do you know that God is asking you to meet that need or fulfill that desire?
2. In the teaching, Andrew Hunt mentioned that often people with the gift of giving “see opportunities that others miss”. Do you find yourself particularly attuned to needs, even if they might be mentioned casually or in passing?
3. The old adage states, “It is better to give than to receive.” Do you find greater joy in giving to others than in receiving yourself?