Continuing On 'The Topic Of Happiness': A Story

While writing about issues I have with the book "The Happiness Project", the following story came to mind.


There's a story I heard once in a sermon that I'll never forget, about a family whose small church asked everyone to give a special donation on Easter so they could bless individuals in need. The family rallied around this idea, and for a month the kids saved every cent from babysitting and yard work, the mom bought foods more simple than normal, and in the evenings they would turn off the lights early to save electricity, simply talking excitedly about the people they would help to bless.

On Easter Sunday the family walked to church with a grand total of $60 saved up. They didn't have new Easter outfits, like other kids did. The clothes and shoes they wore were old and needed to be replaced, but they didn't care. At the moment, they didn't see their own needs. The three kids were each given a crisp twenty dollar bill which they proudly placed in the plate for the special offering.

That afternoon the pastor came to visit their house. When he left, the parents sat quietly at the kitchen table. $90 sat in front of them. In shock, the family realized that they were considered to be the neediest in the church, and were the object of the church's charity. The excitement the family had felt about helping others, and the lack of attention for the little they themselves had, drained away. They were suddenly ashamed to go to church, knowing that everyone else surely saw them as wanting. The money sat in an envelope, untouched.

A few weeks later a missionary came to visit the church and told stories about the work he and others were doing in a poor community in another country. When he said that he was trying to raise $100 to go towards a new school building, and asked if people would consider donating, the family looked at each other with hopefulness for the first time since the pastor's visit to their home. Immediately, the mother withdrew the envelope from her purse containing the $90, and when the offering was taken, the family placed the money in the plate without hesitation. After the offering was collected and counted, the missionary was flabbergasted to find that the tiny congregation had given $115, more than enough to meet the needs for the new school.

"You must have some very rich, generous people in your church!" he told the pastor.
The family looked at each with smiles wreathing their faces. In that moment they knew for certain, no matter what anyone else might say: they were the richest family in the church.