Generosity.

I have been spending some time reading up on financial stuff lately. Many different authors say many different things. I have my own opinions as do you I am sure. In just about all of this stuff I am reading, I have seen a lot about money. But only a few books have taken the risk to look beyond the glorious dollar to see what is going on in our souls. Here’s what’s been going in mine, as it relates to money, lately.

I used to give money away like it had no value, believing that God would give me more. And, well, He has given me more I suppose. But I got the distinct notion recently that God wanted me to be more strategic with my generosity. He wanted me to know the value of His money before I gave it away. And a funny thing happened when I started understanding the true value of money: it started to hurt when I would give money away. It didn’t hurt before, which is probably why it wasn’t hard for me to give. But now it was harder. In response, I did something probably drastic: I subconsciously stopped giving away money. Some might say that this was a step backward, but I think that God was bringing me through something here that wasn’t supposed to be clean journey. This was going to get a little messy.

Generosity (Charity) is love. (In fact, in many places it is the same greek word) Loving people can be really hard. Generosity can also be really hard. But it hadn’t been hard for me until the day that I learned the value of money. From that day, it has stung every time, even if I wanted to be generous. I can hear it now. So, if loving people is hard, do you just stop loving people? The answer should be no. But the truth is that we choose to not love people all of the time because it hurts. My path has led me back to a healthier understanding of what generosity is all about. It’s not about a feeling that I might feel if I do or don’t give. It’s about doing what’s right for the person to whom or place to which I choose to give. It’s comes back to love. 

So the question came up: What is generosity called if there isn’t love? What would you call someone who threw around generosity with no understand of it’s value? 

Whatever you would call it, that’s probably what I was. Now, I know what it costs to give. I also know what it costs on the return. I know the benefit of the sting. That is what love does. It looks for the benefit through the pain. It gives with the full knowledge that suffering will most likely happen. It lays down itself for the best interest of the other. It seeks the greater good. 

 

So, where are you on the generosity continuum? Does it hurt when you give? Does it bring joy to bless others? Does it do both? Give me some stories… 

MAJORING on the minors

I was talking with a good friend the other day and he asked me a question in response to our conversation. He asked: “Does it sound to you like you might be majoring on the minors on a few things here?” I’ve heard this before, and he was right about this situation. But this question got me thinking. I know that, in the past, I have made the small things bigger deals than they need to be. In the world of literature, it would be like placing a priority on the font size or paper quality. In the world of business, it might be like worrying about the printers or memo pads rather than the bottom line and main objectives. In church, it might be a place in the pew, the style of the song, or the color of the carpet. No matter the arena, I know that I have and that we can all miss the big picture. 

I guess that I would call these things distractions. I am just about one degree shy of being full blown A.D.D. or A.D.H.D. Those who have every worked with me know that this is true. Distractions occur OFTEN for me and mean ALOT to me. Things that are flashy or fast-moving, they can very easily derail my attention away from everything else. And I cannot focus on two things at once…the curse of being a man I suppose. So the distraction wins every time. I major on the minor.

I wish this weren’t true in my spiritual life, but I find myself distracted all of the time; then angry that I got distracted (and by the way this anger to this distraction is in fact another distraction, so I’m back at anger, which means I’m distracted, vicious cycle). What’s worse is that usually relationships or difficulties within relationships is what knocks me off my course. So, not only do I need to regain my focus (thus overcoming the distraction), but also make amends to the person to whom I probably, while in my altered state of distracted anger, offended — thus possibly distracting them and starting their vicious cycle. It’s an awful mess…

I am so grateful that God is not only willing to offer forgiveness in these times, but He also never loses His focus, ever.  He never reacts in anger unless it is perfectly justified. He never gets distracted or dabbles in the little things or nitpicks the stuff that just doesn’t matter. So, when He speaks (and He does speak), I can rest assured that it is the big picture. It is centered in reality and the fullness of good. 

I can rest assured of this because, He always MAJORS on the “MAJORS.”

Book: Chazown by Craig Groeschel

Pretty good book if you are looking for what you might be supposed to do with your life; if you’ve ever wondered if you’re headed in the right direction. Here are a few quotes that caught my attention…there’s probably more to come from this book:

“God wants you hot with passion to know Him intimately, Hot with desire to internalize His word and love His people; burning within to follow His voice; aching in your heart for those who are lost; full of righteous anger against sin {whatever gets in the way of you and God}…hot happens on purpose.” (pg. 122)

“You can always get closer to God; there’s always more to know.” (pg. 122)

“The strange truth is that you can be in a crowded room and still be alone. Or be married for forty years and be little more than roommates…God has prepared people to mentor you, sharpen you, love you, and lead you towards His dream for your life.” (pg. 135)

“So much of life trains us to do life solo – study alone, take tests alone, search for jobs alone, couples try to have good marriages alone without the help of others, try to raise the kids alone. God wants us to do life in a faith community – together in teams, in a web of committed relationships where generous giving, fair fighting, deeply communicating and fun finding is modeled for us.”  (pg. 137)

 

And another book saying something similar to all of this:

“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’” Matthew 22:37-39

 

Guardrails

There is one common thread at every job that I have held in my life: