4 Benefits of Generosity
It’s easy to see how generosity benefits the person receiving, but here are 4 ways that that generosity is also beneficial for the one who’s doing the giving:
1. Practicing generosity invites others to be more generous towards me
Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap. For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” —Luke 6:38 (ESV)
My family has been really generous to me:
When I turned 18, my parents bought me a brand new car.
After college, my uncle took me sailing in the British Virgin Isles and payed for everything.
Pretty much every time I saw my grandma she fed me, gave me money, and offered to buy me a car.
Whenever someone else gives me something like that, my heart’s natural response is always to feel more open and generous towards that person.
I normally don’t buy things for other people, but after my uncle took me on that sailing trip, I saw a pirate that I thought he’d like, so I bought it for him! And after my parents bought me that car, I somehow became more willing to mow the lawn whenever they wanted. The reason why I became more generous towards them was because they had first been more generous towards me.
Even in my own personal experience, this verse is 100% accurate: if I am generous to other people, then they will in turn be more generous back to me.
2. Practicing generosity sets me up to be happier
Sharing my financial resources with someone poorer than me actually sets me up to be happier. I think that’s part of what Solomon is getting at when he says:
Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse. —Proverbs 28:27 (ESV)
This verse says that if I am intentional about giving my resources (time, money, energy) to people who are poorer than me, then I “will not want”. That seems counterintuitive because if I’m giving my money away, then I’ll have less of it to enjoy for myself! Yet this verse says that I’ll actually be HAPPIER. Even though this correlation seems counterintuitive, it actually makes a lot of sense, and here’s why:
If I only spend time with people who are richer than me, then I will constantly be reminded of how much I DON’T have. And if I’m always thinking about how much I don’t have, then that will only lead me to feel dissatisfied and jealous. I’ll look at their nice houses, new iPhones, and exciting vacations and start feeling bitter and envious because I don’t have those things for myself.
On the flip side, if I am intentional about spending time with people who are poorer than me, then that will remind me of how much I really DO have: a cozy bed, warm meals, a job, etc. etc.
Giving to the poor opens my eyes to all the amazing gifts I’ve already been given, and that leaves me feeling satisfied and thankful, enabling me to live a life that is truly happier!
3. Practicing generosity enriches my own soul
Even though it uses up my own resources to be generous, it actually enriches my own soul to know that I was able to help someone else. I think that’s what Solomon is getting at when he writes:
Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. —Proverbs 11:25 (ESV)
This verse says that if I am generous and use my resources to bless others, then MY OWN life will actually end up being enriched because of that. Whenever I water someone else’s soul by spending my time, energy, or money on them, that actually ends up watering my own soul too.
Here are some ways I’ve been enriched as a result of practicing generosity towards someone else:
Increased Self-esteem: Spending my resources on someone else takes discipline and intentionality, so when I do it, I naturally gain more respect for myself.
Increased Self-worth: Because generosity is hard, putting it into practice makes me value myself more highly.
Increased Confidence: In order to practice generosity, I am required to take initiative and do something good for someone else. That makes me feel accomplished and confident in my ability to make good decisions and follow through with them.
4. Practicing generosity reminds me of what’s important
Not only does Jesus instruct me to give to the poor, but in this passage he also explains another benefit that generosity produces:
Sell your possessions, and give to the needy. Provide yourselves with moneybags that do not grow old, with a treasure in the heavens that does not fail, where no thief approaches and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. —Luke 12:33–34
In this passage, Jesus says that the reason why I should practice generosity is because wherever my money goes is where my heart will be.
The way I spend my time, money, and resources reveals my priorities: if I selfishly channel all of my resources into my own bank account, then that’s where my heart will be… but if I channel more of that money into helping the needy, then my heart will be steered more towards others.
Being generous forces my heart to detach itself from money and reminds me that people’s souls are the most valuable thing, thus aligning my heart with God’s.