God’s surprises and generosity during our NYC adventure

by Matt Farmer

My family has a tradition: When each of our boys turns ten, my wife Jenna and I plan a special trip for the three of us to visit New York City together. We took our second trip a few weeks ago, celebrating our middle son’s tenth year.

Each trip has been a great way to expose our kids to new cultures, let them experience a completely different atmosphere, weave in some thoughtful questions about our sons’ lives and futures, and watch the Lord inject some fun surprises along the way. On both this trip and the prior trip with my eldest, I was reminded of how children view the world – everything is new and exciting to explore.

Our boys rode the train, the bus, and the subway. They watched a Broadway show, visited the tourist sites (Statue of Liberty, One World Trade, and others), and experienced some small-scale cultural immersion in Little Italy, Chinatown, and even Times Square. They also saw, for the first time, a larger homeless population and some realities of life that are more hidden in our hometown of Kansas City.

This trip brought some new experiences, some God-winks, that reminded Jenna and me that even though each of these trips has a similar framework, we don’t know what’s in store for us. The next time you travel or are in a new environment, here are some things to keep in mind:

1. Life is about relationships

One of our plans for the trip was to go to the Jets/Eagles preseason game, where we met up with a college friend who now coaches for the Eagles. After the game, our son had the chance to see some players and hear my friend share about his faith and leadership.

The next morning, we met up with another friend (the best man in our wedding) who lives in LA and, coincidentally, was also in NYC with his wife and kids. We ended up knocking out a few of the sites with them: National History Museum, Central Park, and One World Trade Center. It was a highlight of the trip for all of us.

These moments reminded us we were made for community. Hebrews 10:24-25 urges us to “spur one another on toward love and good deeds … encouraging one another.” When we step out of our comfort zones, God often provides connection and grounding through people He places in our path so we can encourage and remind one another of His faithful love.

2. Leave room for spontaneity

The Bible has much to say about planning, and it boils down to this: We can (and should) plan, but the Lord ultimately determines our steps. On our trip, we made some grand plans to squeeze in as much as possible, and one of our stops provided an oasis of rest and rejuvenation we didn’t expect.

After a Broadway show, we visited Ellen’s Stardust Diner near Times Square for dinner. We developed a rapport with our waiter as we enjoyed the singing and entertainment around us. We shared with him that we just saw Aladdin and were surprised to learn that our waiter had a close friend in the cast. He ended up offering us a sizable friends-and-family discount … and free dessert for our son!

This interaction didn’t lead to a specific gospel conversation, but we did see it as an opportunity to bless the waiter with a generous tip. It became an impromptu generosity caper, reminding us that God often invites us into these moments.

Proverbs 11:25 tells us “the generous will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”  This idea of prospering and refreshing points to genuine blessing (even beyond materially), and this is what we experienced with our server.

He spontaneously and generously blessed us, giving us the opportunity to model for our son what it looks like to reciprocate and continue the cycle of blessing that benefits both the giver and receiver.

3. Time is a resource to give away

When we speak of stewardship and generosity, we often think in financial terms, giving back to God what He has so lovingly provided. But our time and energy are gifts we have to share as well – with strangers and with those we hold closest.

Those few days in NYC were an opportunity for us to pour into our middle son, who (Lord willing!) will remember not just our investment of time together, but also our friends who gave some of their valuable time to him.

As we enter the last quarter of the year, filled with events and holidays that often include family travel, may we remember to treasure relationships, leave room for spontaneity, and generously offer our most valuable resource: our time.

Generosity can take many forms. Connect with our NCF Heartland team to explore practical ways to make generosity part of your family’s everyday life.