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From the new book Lighting Your Way, With Love
I distinctly remember the night, even though it was almost twenty-five years ago. It was at the end of my pastoral internship in Utica, New York. A bunch of Lutheran pastors took their significant others out to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in a nearby town. It was a pretty nice place, and the food was excellent. At the end of the meal, each couple received their bill in a small folder. When I opened mine, I found out that one of the other pastors had picked up the tab for the intern and his future wife. What a nice surprise! To this day, I continue to appreciate that kind gift.
Have you ever found yourself the recipient of someone else's generosity? Ever have a stranger pay for your coffee? Or perhaps someone was abundant in sharing their time and patience with you.
When someone is generous, they go above and beyond expectations. Because generosity departs from the usual way things go, it can create wonder and sincere appreciation. It has the potential to build and strengthen relationships between giver and receiver. It inspires additional acts of generosity.
Generosity as a spiritual ethic begins with the recognition that all we have in life comes from God. Our selves, our time, and our possessions all have the potential to connect us with God's gracious abundance. Sharing what we have and who we are with others is a response to God's activity in our life, making generosity a sacred endeavor.
If our act of giving to others expects nothing in return, then it is an offering. When we give, we offer something to the happiness, sustenance, or advancement of another. Rest assured: when we express such care, God smiles. Our actions can provide a practical example of loving one's neighbor in real time.
No matter the size of your investment portfolio (or even if you have one), all people can be generous. It is not so much a function of wealth as it is of vision. Do you see life through the freeing lens of abundance or do you see it as limited and scarce? Are you willing to take a risk in giving away something that you might need yourself?
Some of the most significant generosity that I've witnessed has involved great courage on the part of folks who didn't have a lot of material wealth. They gave because another was in need, not because they had a lot of extras lying around. Again, it is a vision thing. When you see life as a gift and all that you have as a gift from God, it is easier to give.
A miser's heart, on the other hand, is convinced that life is a losing battle in which we are all a few steps away from desolation. Hold onto what you have. A rainy day is coming for sure. You fear having nothing after giving everything away.
Generosity is a choice. We choose to see through the lens of abundance or not. We decide to take the risk of giving away things we might use in the future. We determine to live in the abundant blessings of God and not by the anxious scarcity of the world. Or we don’t.
What have I to give? What if you don't feel all that rich right now? Perhaps you are waiting for some time in the future when you will be more flush with resources?
Again, from observing the habits of generous people, this ethic is best not postponed for the “perfect” time. Either folk practice generosity or they don't. You either live courageously, trusting that there is enough, that you have and will have enough, or you live with sheepish restraint. It is a matter of perception and prioritizing. It is about seeing others less as a threat and competition and more as siblings and an opportunity to give.
After years of working in parishes with a great disparity of resources, a pastor of mine once shared the wisdom of his experience: you will not find an unhappy giver, and you will never see a happy miser. Ultimately, generous people tap into life's joy in a way that those who don't give will never experience.
Generous people reflect the generosity of God, which brings people together, heals the sick, accompanies the lonely, forgives the hardened sinner, and raises the dead. Further, generosity is generative; it begets life that is rich beyond compare.
Who doesn’t want to live that life?
A Note to My Son:
Dear Noah,
I'll ask the question right out: Are you generous? Do you share what you have with others?
Don't wait until you make your millions, acquire all manner of wealth and fortune, or have extra time to spare before you choose to be generous. First of all, there is a lot of living to happen before any of that happens (if it ever does). Second, generosity takes practice and is more a way of living abundantly than anything else. Generosity comes from your heart and not from the storehouse of your surplus.
Find the joy in giving to others. Experience the true riches of this lifestyle before material wealth and riches get in your way. Don't wait to learn generosity—there will never be a perfect time in the future but for the present.
Love you always,
Dad
Permission granted to share today's content with family and friends. Copyrighted 2018. Walt Lichtenberger
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When teenagers leave home, it is a time of adjustment for the whole family. Lighting Your Way, With Love helps young and old find the wisdom, courage, and faith to face what lies ahead. Walt writes from the dual-perspective of a father whose son is going off to university and a seasoned pastor who has walked with others during times of transition.
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