The world makes you pay with your life. Ever since Eden was lost, the world's accepted payment method has been bound to the payer's life. Whether it be a desire for something tangible, a position of importance, or a status among the elite, the world only accepts payment in time, your life here on earth. Purchasing worldly possessions and status is the investment of eternal value for the temporal: life for that which will corrupt, decay, and disappear. The world requires a living sacrifice in payment for its favor.
Since everything acquired from the world is paid for with time, anyone giving such a thing will contribute their life if they charitably offer the resource. This is a living sacrifice. People provide a part of their lives when volunteering or donating money or property gifts. This view of a person's donation is the basis of Mite's tremendous steps of accountability toward our donors. When the donor's contribution is seen from the value of their life, it demands a respectful and comprehensive response from the recipient. After all, how valuable is a person's life?
Donors must understand and value their resources from the standpoint of the investment made to acquire them. It may seem unusual for a charity to talk about donors having resources only acquired through investment of eternal value — the sacrifice of their time. However, that understanding of valuation will be the impetus to build trust in charitable giving. Once the giver appropriately values their offering, they will demand accountability from the nonprofits serving their philanthropic activities. This interaction, built on the utmost respect and requiring the highest degree of stewardship, will eliminate the laissez-faire interaction that makes room for fraud and bad actors. Trust in the charity sector requires an attitude shift between the nonprofit and the donor.
We so enjoy being involved in heartfelt charitable transactions. It is a beautiful thing to see individuals decide, willingly, to give of themselves. What's just as lovely is the joy people experience knowing that their gifts, or lives, were used to bless the lives of others. Is there greater value in this existence here on earth? In our opinion - no!