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What's Missing In The Big Give?
03-06-2008
by Johann Snyder
So Oprah’s show The Big Give is a big hit; big whoop. I’ve never really been a fan of reality TV, I’ve never been a fan of Oprah (gasp), and so the two combined was definitely something I wasn’t going to be a fan of. Besides, I’m not entirely sure what the appeal of this particular show is. Am I supposed to be happy that people are spending someone else’s money, or am I supposed to be rooting for someone to get a lot of a money in the “surprise” ending? At least people in need are being helped, although I’d feel a lot better if their real need was being met. Still, The Big Give is not big on my list of shows to watch for several reasons.
First and foremost is this idea that The Big Give is a heart warming show of generosity. Don’t get me wrong, I’m happy that people are being helped; but is this show really about generosity and compassion? Sure teams are competing against each other to try and out give each other, but they aren’t using their own money. In fact, they’re using money from someone for whom a few million isn’t a big deal. Is it really compassion when there’s no sacrifice? Is it really generosity when it’s apart of a competition? Is it really selfless when over fifteen million people are watching? Who’s getting the glory from all of this (a look at the ratings and it seems the Oprah is reaping the most rewards). I know it seems very callous of me to be so cynical about a show that’s whole premise is to help needy people, but I’m convinced that generosity needs to be more than a shallow reality TV show, it needs to go deeper. It needs to be real, not reality TV.
I think my biggest problem with The Big Give is the fact that no one is using their own money to help other people. Far too often, we feel like we can’t be generous because we can’t afford it. The Big Give merely reinforces that attitude by taking ordinary people who otherwise “wouldn’t be able to give” and empowers them by giving them a lot of money. How many of us have secretly said in our hearts, “when I have more money, then I’ll give and be generous”? Of course we might get a little more, but it’s still not enough because our own needs have grown. The Big fixes this problem by giving people money to use for their giving; no risk, no sacrifice, just the thrill of being “generous” by spending a whole lot of money that isn’t yours. The Big Give would be far more interesting to me had it challenged teams to find creative ways to use their own resources to help people in need. Oh I know it wouldn’t have been as flashy or dramatic that way, but I can’t help but feel it would have been more genuine. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from my Bible, it’s that we’re blessed to be a blessing to others. I may not ever be rich, but I know that God will meet all of my needs so that I can then reach out and help meet the needs of others. Sometimes that requires a lot of faith, to be willing to share and give and be generous when it looks like I don’t have enough for myself. But I tell you, there are few things as rewarding as meeting the need of someone else without worrying about your own needs first. To give when you have a lot of money is more often a duty (or even a competition), to give out of your own need is Christ-like compassion. To give of your own resources is to have a genuine heart of compassion, generosity, and sacrifice. To give away someone else’s money is just a meaningless game.
Speaking of giving out of our need, I’m reminded of the story of the widow’s offering in Mark chapter twelve. Jesus was watching people as they put in their offerings one day. He watched as many rich people gave lavish amounts, but one poor widow humbly approached and put in an amount that was worth less than a penny. With whom do you think Jesus was most impressed? The rich who gave richly? The Bible tells us, “Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything-all she had to live on.’” On the surface, that may seem like praise of poor financial management, but what Jesus saw was a faithful heart full of compassion that was willing to give to God first not out of duty or excess, but out of love and respect, knowing that a loving God would care for all other needs. Jesus praised the one person who gave who really had nothing to give. That should tells us something about giving. I wonder what Jesus would say about people who aren’t even giving out of their own wealth, but someone else’s wealth?
It’s true that people are being helped on The Big Give, but their big need is still going unmet. As much as possible, I would like to help meet the physical needs of the needy people around me, but that’s merely a temporary solution at best. While physical needs are important, what people need more than anything is for their eternal needs to be met; and no amount of money or a reality giving competition will do that. It’s a need that will only be met through Jesus Christ. Does that sound proselytizing? It may, and hence it would never make for good network television. But whether you feel it’s proselytizing or not, Jesus said that he was the only way by which we can enter into heaven. He was the only one who paid the price for our sins on the cross. He was the only one who rose from the dead, conquering the grave forever. The greatest gift ever given was the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ, that was the true Big Give; it cost God everything, it costs us nothing, and all it requires is a little faith. More than helping people with their physical needs - which we absolutely should, especially for people in crisis or in the midst of tragedy – people need their spiritual condition taken care of; their need for eternal life to be met. That’s one area where The Big Give comes up with big empty hands.
It’s nice that Oprah is generous with big bucks. It’s nice that The Big Give found people who were willing to give big and help people in big ways. It’s even nice that the show had big ratings, demonstrating a big need in our media to see something positive and uplifting. All in all, however, I feel The Big Give ends up being a small façade of generosity and compassion. It’s too contrived, too shallow, and too self-aware. Jesus warned us that when we do our good works for all to see we already have our reward, but when we do our good deeds quietly, humbly, and behind the scenes, we will have our reward in heaven. I encourage giving, generosity and compassion, but Oprah is not the example for what that looks like. If you want to see true compassion, true generosity, and a true willingness to give, look at Christ, follow Christ.
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