Giving Money Away When you Don’t Have Much

There is an age-old question that has been thrown around for centuries:

Are people inherently selfish or inherently giving?

I’m not going to pretend to know the answer to that question, but I do know that giving people are happy people. Think about that statement. Do you believe it is true? Take a minute to think about someone you know that is an unselfish giver. Got them in your mind? Ok. Now think about your interactions with them. Would you say that they are generally happy people? Do others want to be around them?

In my experience, the givers are the happy people. They have the ability to look outside themselves and their problems to lift someone else out of their problems. Why is that?

It is more blessed to give than to receive.

You have probably heard the old adage that “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” It’s really more than an old quote from an ancient philosopher. According to the Bible, those words were said by Jesus himself. The apostle, Paul, is quoting Jesus when he uses those words in Acts 20:35. He is using them to encourage fellow disciples of Jesus to continue to give to other people in their daily lives.

So one reason the best givers are the happiest people is that they are fulfilling a truth spoken by Jesus. Blessed simply means happy or blissful. So can it be true that a person is happier when he is giving? I believe so. In fact, research on brain activity during the act of giving confirms the truth that Jesus spoke centuries ago.

Giving chips away at our selfish nature, little by little.

I like to think of people in a positive light, but the truth is that we all are full of selfish desires. Some people are better at pushing selfishness aside, but if we are honest, it is a struggle. Each time we give, however, it makes it a little easier to push selfishness to the background of our lives.

I don’t know about you, but I get a little excited when I feel like I might be able to “get ahead” with my day to day money and budgeting. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if there is a need to fill for someone else and I ignore it so that I can stockpile a little more for myself, I may have a selfishness problem.

Giving reflects our Creator.

Since we are made in the image of God, we are to reflect Him in our actions. And when we do, others may be drawn not to us, but to Him. One of my favorite reminder verses is Matthew 5:16.

In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

This is a great “check yourself” verse. When I choose to do something good for someone else, what is my motivation? Sometimes it is for the praise I will get. But on my better days, it is for others to see the goodness of the Father reflected in my life.

God is the ultimate Giver. We should try to look just like Him.

So I know what you are thinking.

You don’t have much. It is all you can do to scrape by each month to pay your bills. Does that make you exempt from giving? I don’t think so. In fact, if you choose to wait to give until you have some “extra” to give, you will be choosing to give up the benefits that come with giving. I don’t believe we give to get, but I believe the act of giving releases blessings of many kinds in our lives.

So how do you begin to give, whether you have very little or more than you need? Take a look at these ideas that may help you and your kids with this blessing of giving.

Give to what you are passionate about. If you do not feel compelled to give, maybe you need to look at your heart and see where you feel strongly about something or someone. That may be where you need to start.

Make giving a family challenge. I love the idea of giving each person in your family a certain amount of money. The only stipulation is that they have to give it away to someone who needs it within a specified time frame. This little exercise challenges us to keep our eyes open for needs around us. When our kids were younger, we tried this. It is much harder than it seems!

Create giving habits. No matter how small the gift, commit to giving on a regular basis. If you do not give to your church family, start there. If you give your children an allowance, begin the habit of helping them break it into how to use their money. We started when our kids were very young. They put their money in three categories: Give, Save, Spend. Then, when the time came, the money was always there and ready to give away.

Model giving to your children. Some would argue that because children are typically egocentric, they do not know how to give. I’ve seen some very giving children, but you can’t argue with the fact that children are usually looking out for their best interest. So watching you give to others will help them progress through the stages of childhood and reach a place where they can see the importance of giving.

Give in secret. This may seem contradictory to the last point, but sometimes, no one needs to know that you have chosen to give. It goes back to that verse in Matthew 5. Our giving should be a reflection of God’s goodness, not a spotlight on ours. I remember a specific time early in our marriage. Our funds were a little short that month because of some unexpected bills. We did the best we could. One day, when going to get the mail, we found an envelope with $200 in our mailbox. No name. No explanation. It was a simple act of giving that someone did in secret. We have never forgotten it.

Keep money set aside for unexpected opportunities. Maybe you have been in the position of wanting to give, but you just could not. I don’t like that feeling. However, if you can put aside money in a specific place that is assigned only to be given away, you won’t have to worry about not having what you want to give. It will always be available.

Give something. It’s hard to give sometimes. There is no doubt about it. But the size of the gift does not diminish the fact that there is blessing in giving. I love how children remind us of basic truths. Recently, my 12-year-old niece wrote a personal card for each adult in our family, telling us how much she loved us and why she loved us, complete with pictures! The notes were so very sincere and personal. A 12-year-old has very little to give on her own. However, she gave something. A big something that meant more than any other gift we could have gotten. Don’t let having little keep you from giving much.

Noted author H. Jackson Brown, Jr. says,

“Remember that the happiest people are not those getting more, but those giving more.”

Giving is good for our hearts, minds, and souls. It’s hard to argue with that. But do our beliefs about giving propel us to action or are we too afraid to take a step?

I want to challenge you to seek at least one opportunity this week to give something.

What will it be?

 

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, remembering that as members of the same body you are called to live in harmony, and never forget to be thankful for what God has done for you.

Colossians 3:15