Generosity and giving time: not grudgingly or of necessity

There are two ways of giving: out of duty, looking at your watch or your bank account, or with joy, thinking of the person. This monthly quest invites you to identify a concrete need and meet it without looking for anything in return, whether with your money or with your time.

What it looks like in your day

Spot a need. A person whose difficulties you know, a charity project, a family from your church, a collection, a cause that touches you. A specific need, with a specific face or project.

Decide in advance. Paul speaks of giving as one has purposed in one's heart. Set an amount or a length of time before letting yourself be swayed by emotion or pressure. For example: "This month, I'll give twenty dollars and half a day."

Give time on a regular basis. A gift of time becomes precious when it is reliable: one hour a week to accompany a child, one half-day a month to help a neighbor. A small commitment kept is better than a big impulse with no follow-through.

Give without expecting anything back. No recognition, no favor returned, no public acknowledgment.

Take stock afterward. What did you feel? Joy, discomfort, freedom? These reactions teach you something about your relationship to money and time.

If you are in a hurry, a simple online gift is enough. If you are shy, you can give discreetly. If you have little money, your time is a precious gift: don't underestimate its value.

What the Bible says

Paul describes the way to give in the letter to the Corinthians:

“But this I say, He which soweth sparingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work:”

"Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver": the manner counts as much as the amount. Notice also the image of the sower: you give the way you sow, with confidence. The book of Proverbs adds:

“There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty. The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself.”

Whoever gives liberally does not become poorer: "The liberal soul shall be made fat: and he that watereth shall be watered also himself." That doesn't mean we give in order to receive more, but that generosity nourishes the one who practices it. Paul praises the churches of Macedonia, who gave out of their poverty (2 Corinthians 8:1-4).

Pitfalls to avoid

Giving out of guilt or pressure. A forced gift is not a gift. Decide calmly.

Giving in order to receive. Some see it as an investment: "If I give, God will give me back more." That is not Paul's logic: generosity is a response to grace, not an investment.

Neglecting your obligations. Giving doesn't mean putting your family at risk. Stay reasonable.

Judging the use. Once given, it is given. If you have doubts, choose trustworthy recipients from the start.

Sticking to big causes. Generosity also begins close to you: a neighbor, a colleague, a brother from church.

This month, identify a concrete need. Decide in advance on a gift of money or time, and do it with joy.