By Jim Ash
Woods Chapel Community of Christ
Lee’s Summit, Missouri, USA
Talking about generosity can be uncomfortable. A direct conversation about what and how we give can feel judgmental. In Western cultures, some feel generosity should be private. The generous sometimes feel embarrassed to talk about it, or they think others will see them as braggards.
I bet you assumed I am talking about financial generosity. When the topic of generosity comes up, we tend to jump to that conclusion. But generosity applies to all aspects of our lives. It is important to be generous with our time as a parent or a loving life companion, or to be generous with our talents and giftedness at our jobs and in our congregations. Generosity is about time, talent, treasure, and testimony.
I believe there are two types of giving. I’ll call them transactional giving and opportunistic giving.
Transactional giving is self-motivated. We give to receive. I will give you something, so you will give me something in return. In transactional giving, what I get is intangible or has a “market value” out of proportion to my gift. I give the PTA $1.00 for a raffle ticket for a trip to Mexico; I donate $100.00 to public broadcasting and receive a T-shirt; or I give my alma mater $1,000,000 and get my name on a campus plaque.
Whether I receive in return some token or a well-fed ego, my giving is driven by getting something in return.
Opportunistic giving is purpose- or others-motivated. We give for a specific purpose. Sometimes our gift is related to a connection we have to the recipient, or it may be the result of a one-time event. Examples might be a birthday gift, a response to a natural disaster, sponsoring a refugee family, or a donation to build a temple. This type of giving is wonderful, but it can lead to making value judgments about our giving. Our gift depends on our assessment of how worthwhile the recipient or the driving purpose might be.
Perhaps there is a third way of giving. I call it intrinsic giving. It is Spirit-motivated. It is neither self-focused nor purpose-focused; it is capacity-focused. This type of giving is not based on what I might receive or on what others need. It is centered on gratitude. This type of giving becomes part of who we are. It becomes “I am.”
Can we transition from transactional giving and opportunistic giving to intrinsic giving? Can we give because we have? Can we give simply because it is who we are? This attitude of generosity grows from gratitude. We give because we recognize, accept, and are grateful for all that God gives us. We give not for what we get, but for what we got; not for what we judge, but for God’s grace.
Faithful disciples respond to an increasing awareness of the abundant generosity of God by sharing according to the desires of their hearts; not by commandment or constraint. Break free of the shackles of conventional culture that mainly promote self-serving interests. Give generously according to your true capacity. Eternal joy and peace await those who grow in the grace of generosity that flows from compassionate hearts without thought of return. Could it be otherwise in the domain of God, who eternally gives all for the sake of creation?
Becoming intrinsic givers means recognizing and celebrating God’s generosity. Instead of repeating the myth that we are poor, we need to recognize what God has given us—not to brag or show off, but to help rewire our internal view.
Our mission to build communities of joy, hope, love, and peace takes time, talent, treasure, and testimony. We are blessed beyond our understanding. It is not the size of the gift, but the size of the heart that matters. Intrinsic generosity grows from gratitude.
Because God loved the world, he gave his Son. Because God gave his Son, what will I give?