Spiritual Disciplines for Parents: Worship, Generosity, and SabbathSample

DAY 3: GENEROSITY

Generosity as a spiritual discipline can be all too easy to set aside. For some reason, it doesn’t seem to carry the same weight — or the same perceived reward — as prayer, worship, or even rest. (Any “amens” for that last one?)

Generosity is hard because we always feel like we need more, right? We don’t make enough money to comfortably tithe. We don’t have enough free time to volunteer. We don’t have enough energy to invest in the lives of people outside our family. We don’t have enough experience, faith, wisdom, courage, etc. Sound familiar?

As parents, this can be particularly challenging, because it’s not unusual for our tank to start off empty most days. How are we supposed to keep pouring when our wells of energy, time, and money are being tapped into continuously?

In Luke 21, Jesus witnessed an incredible act of generosity from someone who had almost nothing to give. Among many rich people who were bringing gifts for the temple treasury, one woman caught His eye. She was poor, and a widow as well. All she had to offer were two small copper coins.

Compared to the (likely very expensive) gifts of the people around her, those two coins seem like nothing. But Jesus’ response reveals everything we need to know about this woman: “‘Truly I tell you,’ He said, ‘this poor widow has put in more than all the others. All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.’” (Luke 21:3-4)

Generosity isn’t about meeting some arbitrary standard of enough. It’s about bringing what you have to God and trusting Him to use it while also providing for you — no matter how much or little you’re able to give. It’s a habit that starts with open hands and a willing heart.

Whether you can give God five minutes or five hours of your day, He can use it. If you volunteer once a week or once a year, He can use it. Whether you offer someone a three-second smile or years of support, He can use it.

When we step out in faith and embrace generosity, we’re showing our kids how to trust God to be our provider and meet our needs. And one of the most beautiful things about God is that He always gives us exactly what we need when we need it (2 Corinthians 9:8).

Put it into practice. Make a “giving list.” Start small by writing out three ways you can be generous with your time, energy, or resources on a weekly basis. Have your kids do the same thing. Then talk about how you can keep growing in generosity together as a family.