The Joy of Giving: Sunglasses, Generosity, and God’s Greatest Gift

Nane and Me (Armenia, July 30, 2025)

A few weeks ago, I returned from my third mission trip to Armenia, and it was nothing short of amazing! I’ve really grown to love this place and its people.

Last year, I met a little girl named Nane. Some of you may have heard me talk about her before. This year, I hadn’t even been there a few hours before I reunited with her!

When she came up the stairs of the church, we immediately recognized each other and ran into a big embrace. Even though we can’t speak each other’s language, there is definitely a bond between us.

All week long, we practically spent the entire VBS time together. We were inseparable. She also loved my sunglasses. She was constantly taking them from me and wearing them herself (as did many of the kids), but she rocked them more than anyone.

Throughout the week, I considered giving them to her, but I thought, What will I wear? Maybe next year when I bring my other ones, I’ll have a backup.

I was fine with that plan until, on the last day, she took them from me again. Something came over me, and I told her she could have them. They were hers.

No translator was needed for that moment. She stared into my eyes and then burst into tears. She gave me the biggest hug, which made it incredibly hard to leave that day.

She has become very special to me. There are so many more fun memories I could share, but her “obsession” with my sunglasses began last year (2024) and culminated in me giving them to her this year.

It was a small thing, but it had a big impact. I will never forget how she literally jumped into my arms and held my neck tight after I told her the sunglasses were hers.

In Matthew 7:11, Jesus says,

"If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”

As He closes His Sermon on the Mount, encompassing Matthew 5–7, Jesus emphasizes that even we, as human beings infected with sin, can and will give our children good things. And if that is true, He teaches that our Father in Heaven is certainly more capable and more willing to give good things to those who ask Him!

Nane never asked for my sunglasses. I just gave them to her because it was obvious she liked them. Maybe she liked them because they were mine — a connection to me. But the connection goes beyond a pair of sunglasses; she already had a bond with me!

Even small acts of generosity can make a big difference. When we give from our hearts, whether it’s time, attention, or even something as simple as a pair of sunglasses, we reflect God’s goodness.

If something as small as this can bring such joy, how much more will God, who gave us His greatest gift in Jesus, provide for us and use our generosity to impact others in ways we can’t even imagine?

God has already given us the greatest gift, even when we didn’t ask for it. Romans teaches us that Jesus came to die for our sins even while we were still sinners. We didn’t ask for it. In fact, most of us reject or resist that gift.

But let us remember: how much more will He give to those who ask Him and ask according to His will and purpose? This isn’t about “name it, claim it.” It’s about a deep longing to connect with our Father in Heaven.

Those sunglasses are a small reminder of the special connection between Nane and me, but the gift of Jesus is far greater. God promises even more than we can see or hope for.

A friend reminded me of this just this week, marveling at how God can do far beyond what we ask or imagine and she laughed at herself, saying, "I have a pretty big imagination!"

Anyway, I was just thinking…