Living GenerouslySýnishorn

Generous With Possessions

In an increasingly cashless society, the physicality of possessions generously given away speaks loudly to a watching world of our Heavenly Father’s lavish love. So, what stops us being generous with our possessions, and how can we start living more openhandedly?

Generosity is more than a vaguely altruistic act, like adding some loose change to a charity collection box. The nard Mary used to anoint Jesus’ feet was a precious possession – and she used all of it. Her generosity was extravagant. The fragrance of the perfume filled the whole house. Lionel Shriver writes, ‘True generosity entails no recompense. It means giving up something you fiercely value and cannot replace.’ Mary wasn’t looking to get any of the perfume back in the bottle. Albert Schweitzer said, ‘If you own something you cannot give away, then you don’t own it; it owns you.’ Be honest (and not super spiritual): What owns you? Is there something you feel you can’t part with? What’s your next step, to resolve the tension in your life when it comes to being generous with this possession?

Jesus urged us to be wary of the power of possessions. He said, ‘Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.’ (Luke 12:15) He also said, ‘Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near, and no moth destroys.’ (Luke 12:33) The truth is, we’re not above hoarding stuff simply because it satisfies us to do so. The antidote is to be more generous with our possessions, which is a powerful witness to our belief in God’s provision. Giving away our possessions is profoundly countercultural. The world claims, ‘You are what you own.’ We need to counterclaim, ‘God owns everything, and I’m free to share what He’s lending me.’ Being generous with our possessions is also wonderfully liberating. Our lives can be dominated by the accumulation of stuff, but we free ourselves from this tyranny by choosing generosity.

Many of us don’t carry much cash anymore, so there’s something compelling about the physicality of being generous with possessions. While it’s easy to give away things we no longer want or need, true generosity is when we give away something we value and can’t replace. Mary had lost, and then found, her beloved brother. Compared to that, material possessions were insignificant to her. She generously gave away a treasured possession and, in doing so, showed her faith in Jesus. By giving away some of what we have, we can do the same.

At the end of the day, things are just things. May we constantly keep in mind that God owns the cattle on a thousand hills (Psalm 50:10). We serve a generous, well-resourced God, and our lives reflect His character when we are generous with our possessions, expecting nothing but joy in return.