Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.”
In a world where most people ask, “what is in it for me?”, why is it important to give? And how can I give?
Why Should I Give?
As a child my parents taught me to give 10% of my increase as a tithing to the church. I was taught that the money I had was a blessing from God and paying a tithing was giving back a portion of what I was blessed with. I am grateful for this habit I have of giving that was established at a young age.
When I was in college and barely able to pay for both food and gas, I got to a point where I was no longer paying tithing. After a few months of not giving, I decided that I wanted to start again and make up the money during the time that I had not been giving tithing. It took some time of saving and tight budgeting, but once I was paying tithing again, I was amazed at how much easier it was to pay for the things I needed without receiving a raise at work. Between budgeting and making an effort to give, I was blessed with the ability to pay for both my wants and needs. Giving helps us to look outside of ourselves and have a greater appreciation for our gifts and blessings.
In the book Smart Money, Smart Kids by Dave Ramsey and Rachel Cruze, they explain how money, and all we have, are gifts from God and that we are stewards entrusted to mange and improve upon those things which we have been given. Therefore, everything I have including my money, time, talents, etc. are not my own. I am a steward over these things and it is important that I learn to manage them and improve upon what I have. I have not always been willing to give generously because I work hard for everything I have. However, this paradigm shift of viewing myself as the steward instead of the owner has helped me become more generous.
How Can I Give?
There are so many ways to give, but often the hardest part is just getting started. I would say the first step is to express gratitude for what you have. Then get creative!
Giving and having an attitude of gratitude go hand in hand. Gratitude creates feelings of joy and contentment. This helps me to look outside of myself to spread those feelings. I think it’s interesting that Thanksgiving comes right before Christmas, the time of giving. We have a season to reflect and show thankfulness for what we have preceding a season of joy and giving.
For many years growing up, my parents along with aunts and uncles would find a family in need. All of us would gather together food, jackets, other necessities and toys that we could give to the family. We would try to deliver these gifts anonymously. I always wanted to see the look on their faces when they received our gifts, but my parents never let me be there when the gifts were dropped off. I didn’t like that at the time, but this practice of anonymous giving taught me to enjoy the act of giving without the need to be thanked or recognized. It just felt good to give.
How can we continue the attitude of gratitude and spirit of giving throughout the year?
- keep a gratitude journal
- say prayers of gratitude
- look for the good in bad situations
- plan service projects
- offer help
If “[you] make a life by what [you] give”, what kind of life are you making? We can all be better at giving and being generous. If you are struggling to start, try this: sometime this week, go out of your way to give generously to someone without expecting something in return! You can give somebody your time, or you can donate to a good cause, or do anything that makes someone else’s life better. Whatever it may be, start ASAP! Giving is the most fulfilling part of wealth building and it is something we should be doing along the way, and not just when we have “arrived.” If you can’t give now, how will you be able to give later? The more you give, the easier it becomes and the happier you’ll be.
How have you found happiness in giving? Please comment below.
Love this!!!