7 Days To Becoming A More Generous PersonSample

Generous with our time.

The measure of a life, after all, is not its duration but its donation. — Corrie Ten Boom

Living generously doesn’t just mean giving money to a cause or a person in need. That’s part of it, but there’s more to it than just giving money. Giving our time is just as valuable. We can always earn more money, buy more things, and make more friends, but we can never obtain more time. Instead of seeing this as a valuable contribution toward a cause or a person, we often become stingy with it and say, “I just don’t have the time.” We all have the time. The question is, are we making time for the important?

What does it look like to be generous with our time? There are a variety of ways we can make a contribution.

Be a mentor.
You may have heard it said that God doesn’t waste anything. All of the good things and not so good things we’ve endured, He will use in the life of another. We must think back to the things that have shaped us into who we are and allow God to use them to impact someone else. The wisdom we’ve gained from all of our life experiences can assist others on their own personal journeys.

Be a servant.
Serving often gets viewed like it’s one of our last options. Most would rather be in front of others, in the limelight receiving accolades, or possibly acquiring some credit for an achievement. The servant does what is needed in the situation he or she is in. Servants willingly reach out to people and offer help to make another’s life easier. They aren’t concerned with awards or spotlights; they just merely want to serve others.

Be a friend.
Proverbs 17:17 says that “a friend loves at all times.” Friends are needed when times are amazing and when they are not. It’s easy to be with a friend and enjoy that friendship when things are going well. But, when a friend is hurting, instead of trying to put a bandage on their wounds and make them all better, let’s instead just be a friend. Our presence in their lives brings a comfort to them and lets them know that we see them and that we have not forgotten them. 

Our time is a commodity we will never get back. What a remarkable investment we can make when we afford some of our time to influence others. We will never know the lasting effect in another’s life because we gave of our time.

Reflect

• Do you find that you are more willing to give your time to help or not?
• What is one thing you could do for someone today that would require your time? 
• Going forward, look for ways to invest your time into people — perhaps you choose to do something for someone everyday.