While nobody is immune from the impact of COVID-19, this virus has hit certain groups of people especially hard. Recent reports show that the Navajo Nation is one of those groups. They have had almost 2,500 cases and 70 deaths, and they do not have the resources readily available combat the pandemic. Additionally, the pandemic has limited their people’s ability to obtain basic supplies like food, water, and diapers. So, they set up a GoFundMe account in order to be able to buy additional supplies.
One of the biggest contributors to their GoFundMe campaign is another group of people: the Irish. The people of Ireland remember how Native Americans sent them financial help during the potato famine in 1845. Most notably the Choctaw sent $170 ($5,000 in today’s money) not too long after their own horrific Trail of Tears journey, which was extremely generous considering their circumstances. Now 175 years later Irish people are returning the support they received. One Irish donor commented, “"You helped us in our darkest hour. Honoured to return the kindness. Ireland remembers, with thanks."
Jesus calls His followers not simply to give to others in need, but to give generously. While we might never be repaid in kind by the person or persons we give to, we contribute to the larger spirit of generosity that is so needed in a greedy world. We might never know what ramifications our gifts might have, but God tells us that such things have a way of coming back to us. “Give to others, and you will receive. You will be given much. It will be poured into your hands—more than you can hold. You will be given so much that it will spill into your lap. The way you give to others is the way God will give to you” (Luke 6:38). May we be generous with others, because we can be certain that God has been and will continue to be generous with us!