Generous
July 24, 2008 Generous No Comments
I was nearly in tears….
I was standing there all alone. This was one of the darkest worst moments of my life. I didn’t know what to do or who to turn to for help.
I just stood there all alone.
I felt a hand on my shoulder and a voice said “Can I help you son?”
I turned to see a man looking at me with a smile on his face. He said “You look so sad and lonely and I just wondered if you were ok.”
As the tears rolled down my face he stood with his hand on my shoulder still and said words I will never forget.
“I give of my time, I give of my talent, and I give of my treasure. I give willingly, cheerfully, joyfully and lovingly. I always give with love. I give with the love of the spirit.”
“I see life as it can be, not as it appears to be.”
The world around us has gone to chaos. War, hunger, increasing prices and general chaos are all around us. This is a time when the world has never been more intelligent, cleverer than ever before, yet we cannot control the price of a liter of gas or a bowl of rice. This is a time when our fellow man needs more help than ever before.
Do you see life as it is or do you see life as it can be? The man that spoke to me probably saved my life, but he never knew. His generosity in reaching out to someone who looked lost in life has brought many years of joy to me. I never saw him again, but I never forgot him and his kind deeds.
We all have the ability to be generous in some way every day. We can give some one some change out of our pocket or simply help someone across the road or like the man that put his hand on my shoulder, just ask someone if they are ok.
Yesterday I read in the newspaper that in the last 3 months over 20 million people in The Philippines have gone hungry on more than 1 occasion because they do not have enough money to simply buy a bowl of rice.
And yet we think we are generous!
Most people are not even generous with themselves. Most people believe that they deserve 2nd best. They use low class transport to get to a low class paying job to pay for their sub-standard accommodation just so they can live. Is this really the best modern man can do? Or can we do better?
I believe that we can do better.
I challenge you to do better. Find one thing that you do not like in your life and change it. Be generous to yourself. If, for example, you use public transport, promise yourself that you will never use public transport again and that you will only use taxis in future. If you use taxis all the time promise yourself that you will have your own car as this is unacceptable to you. How do you afford the taxi or the new car? Act accordingly! Act accordingly and you will probably have to change something in your life to do so. Do you not deserve your own generosity?
How can you be generous with other people if you cannot be generous with yourself?
Abundance is the source of generosity. Abundance implies an overflowing amount. so much so that we do not worry about filling up the cup. Abundance implies that you do not mind giving to others as you have so much yourself, what you give is but just a small amount. a drop in the ocean.
But how can it be a drop in the ocean if you don’t even have enough to look after yourself? This is the dilemma of abundance and generosity. How can I give if I don’t have. I suggest…you don’t have because you don’t give!
Remember the widow’s mite? She had nothing, yet she gave it away because she believe in the Lord and that he would provide for her.
Do you believe in your own abilities? Do you believe in the abilities of those who help you? Your team? Do you believe in the abilities of your God? Do you?
If you believe in all of those abilities, you know that you have nothing to worry about and that it is only fear that stops us from being generous. Remember no matter what you give…you were able to get it once (or you would not be in the position to give it away) so then you can get it again.
Believe in yourself and start to practice generosity. It all goes around and around. The key to a fast flowing river is the movement of the water and likewise the river of money is powerful when the money flows. As soon as the money stops, it has no power and no value. Keep it flowing…keep it growing!
Be generous!
And the man who put his hand on my shoulder; I realized later that I didn’t even know his name. All he wanted was to help me.
How generous is that?
