Paws For A Moment

Paws for a Moment

Bible Blast: Read Matthew 6:1-4

When you give to someone in need, don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing. Matthew 6:3

You might not believe this, but it looks like cats can actually be right-handed or left-handed. After playing with kitties for an extended period of time, scientists agreed that cats actually favor using one paw or the other. The scientists especially noticed this in a test they conducted in which they put a piece of tuna fish in a container that was too small for the cat’s head to fit through. The cats had to use a paw to get the tuna out in order to eat it.

I guess if cats gave to the poor, today’s focus verse would apply to them, too.

Obviously, your hands don’t actually “know” anything because they don’t have brains. The idea behind this Scripture is that when you give to someone who’s in need, don’t make a big deal out of it so that the whole world knows.

There are a lot of celebrities and TV shows that focus on giving extraordinary gifts to people. It’s exciting to watch, but it makes me wonder: Would those celebrities and TV shows give in such big ways if they didn’t get to show off while doing it?

God’s way of giving is to give with humility and sometimes with total anonymity (without anyone knowing who did it). Once when my husband and I were very young parents, we were out of money. We had very little food at home, and we were out of diapers for baby Robby. When I got home that day, there was a cashier’s check in my mailbox. I never did know who that money came from, but I bet God blessed the givers for that gift!

It can be hard to give quietly or in secret, because it feels good to have other people say, “Wow! I can’t believe you gave that to them! What a sacrifice! You’re an amazing person!” But God says he will reward us for giving. We may have to wait until heaven to get that reward, but it will be far greater than any pat on the back someone gives us on earth.

Girl Gab: If you have a cat (or dog), do a test like putting tuna in a container to see if your pet is right- or left-handed. Then try to do something kind for someone else in your family without anyone noticing. Your kindness will be a gift given in secret!