Everyone knows the saying “give, and it will come back to you” or the idea behind it at least. It’s biblical and means that if you give (through faith and a good heart of course), you’ll gain.
So what happens when you do just that, and it ends up turning into a photo-opp? Is that wrong? Are you traveling into remote areas to give back AND get that perfect Instagram pic? You know, the one with you surrounded by the natives of that land with a village behind you-where your privilege and blessings juxtapose the harsh reality of our world today.
I’m totally guilty of this, so instead of judging here’s some food for thought: would you still do charity work or missions trips if you had to keep it a secret? I mean, if the world didn’t know how big your heart was would that make a difference in how you give, how much you give, when you give, etc.?
I traveled with family and medical students to the Caribbean on a missions trip, and I can see how easy it is to forget the actual reason behind a volunteer trip. Doing the actual work becomes second to Instagram pictures, Facebook posts, and the opportunity to find the perfect caption about giving and love. But when you get so absorbed with showing off your charity work, you need to snap back into reality and remind yourself what you are doing and why you’re doing it.
It’s a sad truth however that majority of our so-called “influencers,” volunteers and charity groups are only in it for the tax write-off (the 2019 tax rules just screwed that up, btw) and likes for various social media platforms.
We see and hear about everyone’s philanthropic endeavors. I say as long as your heart is in for good reasons and the main goal isn’t to get the perfect pic, go for it. After all, your pictures might just inspire others to get their hands dirty… Just don’t act like you’ve never seen a little brown baby before or think you can only communicate by mimicking their accent.
