With Christmas 2014 now passed, you might reflect on the value of gifts. When might a gift be a blessing? When might it be a curse? Gifts bless when they encourage growth. Gifts curse when they the foster dependence.
Consider the following examples:
First, I recently read a book, “Nickeled and Dimed,” a memoir of the author’s attempt to live on entry level employment in three different areas of the United States of America. That book has achieved significant acclaim and is required reading in many undergraduate classes. One of the author’s conclusions is that wages are too low and rent is too high. She recommended that government should provide rent subsidies for the poor. I pondered such a proposal and was sympathetic to the recommendation. I know people who would benefit from such a proposal. As I though it through, I asked myself, “Why not? Why couldn’t government subsidize rent?”
One obvious response is that such subsidies might foster dependence. However that is not the primary reason I would be concerned about publicly funded rent subsidies. A significant concern arises if the beneficiary perceives the subsidy as a destination rather than a stepping stone. If a gift becomes an entitlement rather than a temporary support or investment in future experience, it damns one’s growth.
Second, Tyron Smith, a football player in the National Football League, recently cut off contact with his family members because they demanded consistent and increasing amounts of financial support. They felt entitled to his considerable earnings. According to a police report, they went to his home seeking more money. They harassed and threatened his girlfriend when she would not allow them in. Was he being selfish not to share the wealth of a multi-million dollar contract? Perhaps no one knows the full story, but it is reported he had previously provided family members and friends with financial support approaching $1 million. When he offered to purchase a home for his mother and step-father for $300,000, she called back and asked for an $800,000 home. Did his support of his family foster growth or dependence?
Charity without a growth plan often impoverishes the recipient of developmental life skills. What is the key to legitimate and sustainable growth? Experience. Experience promotes confidence and development. Experience deprivation compromises confidence and growth. The absence of knowledge, experience, and confidence is a primary pathway to poverty.
While balance and interdependence (as discussed in previous posts) are essential elements of self-reliance, growth is the third element of the BIG secret to Latter-day Saint wealth. Growth is vital. Without growth, balanced interdependence may degenerate into co-dependence. True charity provides the beneficiary with a foundation upon which to build and ultimately bless others. Such growth is sustainable because it is perpetual.
A great example of sustainable growth is the Perpetual Education Fund (PEF) of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 2001, (then) Church President Gordon B. Hinckley announced the creation of the fund to help youth in developing countries, “step out of the cycle of poverty.” The program helps ambitious young Church members receive education and training by providing them with student loans. Their resulting education and training leads to technical skills or degrees that promote greater employability. As loans are repaid, the funds are re-circulated to provide ongoing opportunities for others.
The PEF is part of the Church’s emphasis on helping Church members develop self-reliance. Watch the following video to see how personal growth fosters family growth, and ultimately enables one to contribute to others growth as well: https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2014-06-1930-felix-refrigeration-parts?category=testimonials-and-stories&lang=eng

Being blessed and blessing others is at the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ and that is something money can’t buy.