Generosity of Spirit

Love is all you need

There is no question that generosity is valued and considered to be of great importance when we review the teachings of Jesus. Whether it’s through His comments on tithing or on helping the poor, it’s very clear that He encourages us to be lavishly generous. But generosity doesn’t only apply to money.

I worry that we (Christian finance writers) often miss the point when writing or speaking on generosity. We have a tendency to talk about the importance of tithes and offerings and helping the poor (which, don’t get me wrong, are all very important), but as Paul said, “If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.” 

Generosity is a natural result of being a loving individual. And (for followers of Jesus) that’s our first mission: cultivating that attitude of love. Out of that caring heart should pour a spirit of generosity. 

Does that mean that we shouldn’t give if we fail to love or if we have a bad attitude? I don’t think so. We should continue to give, but we should recognize that we aren’t benefitting from our generosity as much as we could. 

And it stands to reason that generosity of spirit would not only cause us to be generous financially, but also with our time. I was recently reminded of this through a conversation about strata councils when someone asked, “Why would anyone ever do that for free?” The very concept of donating one’s time was seemingly anathema to them. In a way, I get it. If you’ve ever been on a strata council (or any other volunteer board) you understand full well how much brain damage is involved and how little appreciation is given to the volunteers, so it’s a fair question. 

So why would anyone ever do that for free?  There are many reasons one might choose to give by taking on a volunteer role, but for most people I would venture to say the answer would simply be “it’s just the right thing to do”. Most of the time, it’s probably not the case that we join a board, strata council, or volunteer group strictly out of love for the group or cause. It’s probably more accurate to say that out of love we recognize that somebody has to do it, so we step up. 

Now I am NOT saying we should say yes to everyone that asks for our time. There are not enough hours in a day, and we need to look after ourselves. Being so involved that we burn out isn’t a desirable or helpful outcome either. But we can be more open to opportunities to get involved, care, and love.  

At the end of the day, be generous. Be generous with your time. Be generous with your money. And, most important of all, be generous with your love. Love those who are being generous alongside you. Love those who are not generous. Love those who benefit from your generosity. Love those who don’t. Love those who are easy to love and those who are not. Just love. And the generosity should flow. In the words of the most well-known philosophers of the 60’s, “Love. Love. Love. All you need is love.”

Arnold Machel lives, works, and worships in the White Rock/South Surrey area. He holds the Certified Financial Planner® designation, is the Founder of Visionvest Financial Planning & Services, and sits on the board of Abundance Canada. Visionvest (his firm) has been voted Best Investment/Financial Advisor by Peace Arch News readers for the past three years in a row.

Questions and comments can be directed to him at dr.rrsp@visionvest.ca. Please note that all comments are of a general nature and should not be relied upon as individual advice. While every attempt is made to ensure accuracy, facts and figures are not guaranteed.