Better to Give Than Receive

This morning at church the topic was "It is better to give than to receive."  Although this does not relate solely to money, that was more the focus point of this particular discussion.  Our pastor spoke regarding the blessings that get poured out into your life when you give, but not only for yourself, also to the one with whom you have given.  If you just hold onto the money and keep it in your grasp, no one is gaining a blessing from it.  This is not to say if your family is struggling financially and do not have extra money, you should give it all away...nothing extreme like that...more of a spirit of generosity in your heart.  This can also apply to giving of your time to help a friend or neighbor or to volunteer at a soup kitchen or even at your church.  There is something truly enriching about giving of yourself.

I still remember attending a youth conference in high school with my church group.  During one of our breaks, we all went out walking around town to grab a bite to eat.  Outside there was a homeless man asking for money, and I dug into my pocket and pulled out all the change I had and gave it to him.  In my heart I felt compassion and wanted to give even if it was just a little bit.  To this day I still remember the people around me...my fellow church goers, criticizing my decision to give money to the man...stating that he would probably use it to buy alcohol or something.  First of all I thought I hadn't given him all that much money, and secondly shouldn't we as the church be reaching out to those in need.  I talked with a wiser adult later about that situation, and I was told that we can only do what our heart is prompting us to do, but we cannot control what the other person does with our gift.  God knows the condition of our heart, and as long as our motives are pure, it doesn't matter what happens with our gift.

Somewhere in my life I developed a love for giving.  Since God has blessed me, I desire to pour blessings out into the lives of others.  I enjoy giving financially...purchasing gifts for the Angel Tree, donating to our church's food drive to help the local food banks, sending money to a missionary family overseas, sponsoring a child in Uganda, etc.  To me this is rewarding, and I know the money is going to further God's kingdom.  What is more difficult for me is the giving of my own personal time.  I do volunteer with my church's special needs program every other week, and sometimes I will try to help in other ways, but my heart is not always into it.  This is something I need to pray to improve in my own life. 

If I want my boys to grow to be generous with their money and time, I need to make more of an effort to display those actions in my everyday life.  Children even at a young age start to pick up on the examples of their parents.