10 Things I’ve Learned About Giving
March 17, 2008 by Karen Weideman
Filed under Top 10 lists, financial matters
A few weeks ago, I gave you a quote by Dave Ramsey.
“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”
Today, I want to touch on the subject of giving just a bit more. Here are a few things I’ve learned in life.
1) Giving feels good.
2) Giving helps you to be more content with what you have.
3) You reap what you sow. If you sow generosity, then it will return to you.
4) God blesses those who give. Although it may not be in a monetary way, I’ve seen God bless people and businesses time and time again.
5) Tithing is for us. God doesn’t need our money. He owns and created everything. Tithing teaches us to trust God, to put Him as a priority, to show us the joy of giving, and to teach us to be unselfish.
Click “Read More” to read the rest of this article.
6) Keeping all your money doesn’t make things better. If you can’t learn to live off 90, 95, or even 99% of your money, then what makes you think you could make it off all of it?
7) Giving should not be done out of guilt or manipulation. You should give because you want to give. That doesn’t mean that you’ll always be cheerful about it. Sometimes people start giving because they want to and they know they need to. The joy of giving may take a while to come to you.
8) Giving doesn’t have to be monetary. You can give your time to an elderly neighbor who needs help cleaning her house. You can give knowledge to someone to teach them how to save money. You can give your services to a non-profit organization so that they don’t have to pay someone to work. You can babysit a single mom’s kids while she has a night out by herself. You can tutor a low-income child and help them with their school work. There are plenty of ways to give.
9) Giving isn’t on a check list of things to do. At first, it may be that way. Eventually and hopefully, it tunes you in to feel compassion for others, to see their needs, and to help with those needs.
10) Giving brings about freedom. I don’t know how to explain it other than to say that things just aren’t the same. When we hold on to everything we have, it seems that we become greedier and we allow things to control us. If we give and let some of things go, it brings about more of a peace and freedom.
Are you a giver? What have you learned about giving?
i had already rasied 7 birth daughters and was a foster mother years ago. after talking to several of my daughters about a few books we had read (a child called it and the follow up books) we decided that even though i was a single, working mom, we would become a licensed home again. what started out as an attempt to help a child or two has snowballed to my becoming licensed for 7. i have adopted one of the little ones and am in the process of adopting a sibling group of 4. so many times, people have told me how i’m going to be blessed for my efforts…how there’s a special place in heaven for people like me. what people don’t realize is how blessed i already am!!!! to be given the chance to know and love and nuture and mother these little ones….to see them blossom and grow and learn to trust and love….i am thankful to each and everyone of them every day of my life. they truly are a gift from God. what started out as an effort to give back to society has resulted in my being given rewards beyond belief. while i know this may not be for everyone i would encourage any of you who might have kicked the idea around of becoming foster/adopt parents to take the plunge. these chioldren are our future and homes in every state are desperately needed.
karen aka mom_of_14
p.s. while i was a full time working mom of older children before this started, i’m now a stay at home full time mom. i don’t want to miss a single moment with my children and know i’ve made the right decision.
mom of 14: Thanks for sharing your story with us. It is awesome to read of other people getting involved and giving of themselves. My husband and I have talked about foster parenting and/or adoption. It is probably in our future.
God constantly puts into my heart to be a foster parent.
Thank you for your explanation of tithing. This is the best I’ve ever seen it put. I’m stumbling you
Chief Family Officer: Thanks for the comment and for the stumble. I’m glad you enjoyed the article. I hope it helps others to understand what giving is about. By you stumbling the article, it will be read by others.