What About Having a Giving Spirit?

Why is generosity such a hard virtue to put into practice for some of us?  Can we learn to be a giving person?

by Mike Corthell

''Kindness in words creates confidence. Kindness in thinking creates profoundness. Kindness in giving creates love.''

— Lao Tzu

Instilling the spirit of giving in our children can be a challenge. Nearly all children growing up have difficulty sharing their toys. A toddler clings to his toy while saying, “It's Mine! It’s mine!” As adults we have trouble parting with our possessions too.

Generosity is a virtue that is undervalued by the world. Here in America the latest statistics say that we give less that 3% of our income to charity.

There are spiritual reasons for being generous, of course, but there are many practical reasons as well.

Here are just a few:

Being generous will help free you from greed. Did you notice that the more stuff you have, the more you want? Kind of like eating potato chips!

Being generous and volunteering your time will make you feel better about yourself. Even a small gift can help out dozens or even hundreds of people who really are in desperate need.

Being generous will make you less self-centered. You will be interested in the other person or charity and have less time to dwell on the small things that irritate.

Being generous also has a selfish benefit too; you'll make new friends and who doesn't like that!

Be generous. It can be a learned virtue. 'Fake it 'til you make it' if you have to. Be so darn generous that you aren’t even sure how you’ll get by. You will find that your life will be enriched beyond measure and you will finally be happy. In fact, you will even find that you will have even more money to spend. God works mysteriously like that you know.

~

To those of you who already practice what I've just preached...THANK YOU!