Generosity

The other day my husband and I went out to eat so we could catch a football game and have a light lunch. We munched on chips and salad, and since we sat for a while we gave the waiter a nice tip even though the bill wasn't very big. I've worked in the food industry since I was 16, so I try to give a good tip when we eat out because I completely understand how it is to wait tables. Most servers make about $2 an hour, and the rest comes from tips, which makes it really frustrating when a table leaves a lousy tip after taking up a lot of time and work. As my boss at Chili's explained the other day, servers are salespeople, and like all salespeople, they work on commission. I could probably rant about the importance of tipping servers for a while, but that is not actually relevant to this post. However, after knowing and understanding all of this, and after giving a tip that I would be happy to receive, I actually left the restaurant wondering if I gave too much and bothered by the fact that we have to spend a lot to eat out even when we don't order much since we have to add the tip into the equation.

My husband and I are very conservative with our spending. Our financial goals in this season of our lives is to save our money and pay off those college loans looming over our heads. They aren't really looming, but sometimes they do feel to me like a mountain that I have to climb and the other big events of my life are on the other side of the mountain. Not that it is a very steep mountain, but rather a gradual climb that I will slowly chip away at for a few years. Still, some big events in the future like buying a house, having kids, or going on big trips are postponed until we are on the other side. Loans come first.

Of course I know this is smart; we want to have good credit and save money since we are just starting off, and my husband seems to have the right mindset about everything. So why is it bothering me when we are generous to servers or charities because I haven't climbed my loan mountain yet? Something tells me that generosity should not bother me so much, but instead be something that I feel good about. I thought I wasn't being selfish or materialistic since I wasn't spending very much, but maybe I was still being selfish in my saving. Maybe there's multiple sides to selfishness and generosity.

Andy Stanley, the pastor of Northpoint Ministries, often preaches about the importance of financial responsibility. One thing that he says that I think is wise is how it is important to only live off of a percentage of your income so that you have a greater margin to be generous. He talks about the importance of tithing (or giving) a certain percent of income every month. Ian and I have been putting some money away for giving each month, but after that lunch the other day I realized that there was something missing for me still: my heart.

It is a great thing to give. Our world is broken in so many ways, and just to chip at that brokenness with generosity is important. As Christians we are called to give, it is a part of our purpose. Generosity for us is a spiritual thing, not just something you plan and count, it should affect more than just your mind. Putting money away to give every month was something I had only been planning in my mind. I was not praying about where we should put the money, or being led to give in certain ways. My brain was the only thing affected. Maybe giving every month makes us "good" people, but God wants us to be more than that. He calls us to be like Him, and He gives out of love. He asks us why we give, not just what we give.

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." Matthew 6:1-4

"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." I Timothy 6:6-7, 17-19

We give so that we may fulfill His command to love others. We give so that we will not put our trust in wealth, but instead in God. We give so that our hearts look more like His.

I think that when my walk with God seems to stall and my spiritual life goes through a dry spell, I should look at my willingness to give. I think my generosity tells me a lot about how I am acting as a child of God. If I am trusting God, why do I worry about giving money to a good cause? Why do I worry about being too generous? It doesn't make sense.

This year my resolution is going to be to be more generous with my money, my resources, my time, and my love. This year, I want to give not just because I was told to, or because it makes sense financially, but because my heart is in it. I want to give because God's love is flowing through me. When I give that way, I trust that God will continue to give us what we need to be even more generous.