Giving VS Genero
Resonate reader and avid journaler,
Chelsea Riviere, 28, heard about our
money issue and was keen to share her
passion for giving with attitude.
M
y earliest memory of giving
was in a church that my
family was visiting. I was
young, maybe four years old, and
was entrusted with some money
for the offering bowl. A whole fifty
cents. Enough to buy a lemonade icy
pole. I gripped it tight in my fist and
considered, for the entire duration of
Shine Jesus Shine, if anyone would
notice if I slipped the coin into my
pocket instead. I actually remember
looking along at the people in my row
as I weighed up what to do. Icy pole –
offering – icy pole – offering. When the
moment came, I dropped my big shiny,
sliver coin into the bowl.
FOR ME, THE ACTION OF
GIVING IS ALWAYS EASIER
THAN THE ATTITUDE OF
GENEROSITY.
I suspect I was motivated by:
1. the fear of getting caught, and
2. the idea that it was the right thing
to do.
I did give that day, but it was certainly
not with a cheerful heart!
As I’ve grown up, it has been easy to
dismiss the first motivation. And I've
since enjoyed many a lemonade icy
pole. But the second motivation –
giving out of duty or obligation – has
been harder to shake. I haven't had
difficulty giving to causes, but I haven't
necessarily had a generous heart as
I've done it. For me, the action of giving
is always easier than the attitude of
generosity.
I've never consciously asked myself
‘What will be the impact on me if I
give?’, but the answer is one that has
guided how, when and how much I give.
Will I have enough for what I need?
Will I have to cut back on what I want?
When I've thought first of my own
situation and considered how much I
can give without actually feeling any
impact, I'm not giving from a place of
real generosity.
I want to cultivate a generous heart,
but how do I do it?
resonate · issue 28 · page 6
I think that it starts with an attitude of
thankfulness.
I can thank God as the provider of what
I have, and also recognise the gifts from
others that have contributed to who I
am, like my high school science teacher
who believed in me and my grandma
who prays for me. When I am thankful,
my focus shifts to what I have – my
resources, my passions and my gifts –
rather than what I lack.
Learning to be humble is also part of
the process of becoming generous. I
remind myself that all I have not only
comes from God, but remains His
possession. Paul wrote that we start
with nothing and in the end we'll leave
everything behind.¹ When I truly see
that I am simply a steward for the time
I’m here, it changes me. I no longer
think about me, me, me, but consider
how I can best use what has been
entrusted to me.
A thankful heart helps me to recognise
all that I already hold. An attitude of
humility gives me the freedom to hold
it lightly.