I like being generous.
It brings me joy to give to others and see them blessed. I began learning to be generous from my Dad when
I was a little kid. We would be sitting
together in the pew (that would be an old-school bench seat for you
uninitiated) in our little church and he would give me a dollar to put in the
offering plate when it went by. My
parents gave on a monthly basis and he would hand me the folded check to put in
the offering plate on those Sundays. I
liked being able to do that. It made me
feel good.
Dad’s
generosity reached beyond supporting the church. I also remember there were people in our town
who would be struggling financially so my Dad would hire them to do some work
for him. It was work he could have done
himself but he had a heart to help others out and help them up. He still does that with his grandkids – gives
them jobs so they can earn money for college.
I try to take these jobs away so I can earn the money but he won’t let
me!
My Dad
wasn’t just generous with his money, he was generous with his time as
well. He has always been a great model
to me of what it meant for a husband to serve his wife. My mom was a music teacher for 20+ years for
our school of 150 kids, K-12. She taught
them all – littlest to the biggest – and every year there were at least three
all school concerts she would do. My Dad
was the set-up, tear-down, sound guy.
Patiently listening to all those off-key singers (but we were cute!) and
squacking band members learning to play their instruments. Dad was generous with his time. It can be somewhat easy to give away money
but to give away our most precious resource?
That is where true generosity begins to show.
I also remember
stories Mom and Dad would tell about their parents and I realize their
generosity came from the generosity they saw modeled, too. My Mom’s Dad (Grandpa Sam to me) had
greenhouses and a florist shop. At the
end of the depression in the late 30’s and 40’s people down on their luck would
come by looking for food. He would give
them a job – chopping some wood, shoveling some dirt – and pay them something
or give them some food. He always tried
to help out, commenting, “They’re just down on their luck and need a little
help.”
For years
I’ve given our tithe electronically because it is convenient and I don’t forget
that way. So I haven’t been able to
model generosity in one of the ways it was to me. But I seek to show generosity and encourage
generosity in my kids. And they are
catching it. I have seen them give away
something to a friend rather than sell it.
I’ve seen them sacrifice some time to help another out. It makes my father’s heart proud!
We need
more generous people in the world.
People who are generous with their money, generous with their time, generous
with their giftedness; the best way for it to happen is our kids seeing intentional
generosity in our lives. It is going to
happen when our kids and grandkids see how blessed we are when we get to be a
blessing.
Be
generous. Be a role-model of
generosity. It can be part of your
legacy that will live long after you are gone.
Peace and grace,
David
PS – Thanks Mom and Dad!
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