7 Days To Becoming A More Generous PersonSample

The blessings of a generous life.

Stewardship, giving, and generosity are not synonyms. Stewardship is a role, giving is an act, and generosity is an attitude. — Dave Briggs

The quote above really does explain the relationship between stewardship, giving, and generosity. We are stewards who give with a generous spirit. When we do, our lives will be filled up so full that we won’t be able to contain the blessings. But being generous to get something out of it is never the point. We don’t decide to give our money, time, or encouragement so that we can get something in return. But, one cannot ignore the blessings from God when we live our lives to be a blessing to others. 

If you search the internet for how generosity changes the giver’s life, you’ll find a plethora of studies showing that it is nothing but a benefit. There are studies that show being generous lowers one’s blood pressure, reduces anxiety, makes marriages better, extends our lives, and just makes us happier overall. (1) Rarely, does anyone become poor or miserable by living generously. It just does not work that way. 

Perhaps the reason there are favorable outcomes to our giving is because we are not focused on ourselves. When we fixate on our own issues, struggles, and challenges, we cause inner turmoil that will end up manifesting itself in our lives in different ways. 

Even in times of personal scarcity, generosity can be vibrant. In fact, it’s in the times that we don’t think we have much to spare that we grow in our generosity by choosing to give. In difficult times, it’s easy to become professional receivers. Instead, let’s become professional givers. In order to see our heart’s change from a scarcity mentality to an abundant outlook, we must take our minds off of ourselves and consider others. This is the most effective way to grow generosity in our hearts.

Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” May we awake each day with hearts and minds full of gratitude for what God has done in our lives and in turn, look for opportunities to sacrifice for someone else’s benefit. 

That is generous living.

Reflect

• Do you consider yourself a generous person? 
• What steps do you need to take today in order to begin living a lifestyle of generosity?

 (1) Source: https://michaelhyatt.com/habit-of-generosity/