Generosity's Baby Steps

Sometimes the mere thought of being generous can be overwhelming...  Where do I start?  How much can I really afford to give?  Why should I give away what's mine?

While there are answers we should seek to those questions, it might be beneficial to ask a few simple questions first:

What am I most thankful for?

Human generosity flows from gratitude.  When I'm thankful for the blessings of my life, then I am free to give out of joy.  Conversely, when I spend time and energy trying to hold on to the little I think I have, I cannot be generous.

Jesus put it this way:

"Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Matt 6:21

If my treasure is money, my heart goes with it.  If my treasure is relationships, my heart goes with those people, and my money and time can easily flow to those people I treasure.

One thing I'm thankful for: My family has always had food on the table.  Always.  So much so, that my children don't really understand what hunger is.  For the provision of God in our lives I'm deeply grateful.

How could I be used to meet the needs I'm aware of around me?

To be generous, I must first have eyes to see the needs outside myself. Then, I can begin to think about creative ways to meet them.

On Easter Sunday, my family and I were headed home and stopped at the local Safeway to pick up some remaining items for an impromptu Sunday barbeque at home.  As I stepped out of our mini-van there was a grey-haired woman there who asked if we could help her out.  She had some things in a bag she had gathered as presents for her sisters kids and said she was headed to her sister's house but wanted to take some food along with her to be a blessing to them. Then she asked me for money.

Now I rarely give money to someone I don't know, particularly in parking lots and at off-ramps.  But that day, I had an epiphany.  I explained to her that my family and I were headed to the store and that she could come with us and pick out what she needed.  I also shared with her an amount that we could afford.  With our kids in tow, we did our shopping and met her at the front where we paid for the food she had picked out.

I don't know what she did with the food.  Most of it was perishable and would not be easily returned for cash.  I don't know if she was really going to see her sister,  but that day I felt great about being generous, I loved that my kids could participate in the joy of giving, and I had renewed hope that I could help a stranger.

Gratitude for God's provision and some creative generosity clicked that day.

Question: What sparks your generosity?  Please leave a comment below to tell me about it...