Fearful times make it easy to fall into a miserly, stingy mindset. You know folks need help, but you are worried about what is coming down the road, so you hold back your resources to protect yourself from the risk of worry. However, such fear actually restricts our ability to take joy in what we do own. Of course, you need savings to guard against emergency. However, stinginess serves nobody. From Proverbs 28:22, “A stingy man hastens after wealth and does not know that poverty will come upon him.”
Treasures in Heaven
We’ve all heard a tinkly crash and realized that something delicate has been broken. You may have been given fragile or precious items by a family member that mattered a great deal to them but really don’t suit your taste. These physical things are obviously fleeting. You can avoid this pain and loss by remembering the instructions from Matthew 6:19-21, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”
Thrifty Vs. Stingy
The fundamental difference between thrift and cheapness is what you keep and what you give. If you eat steak and your partner eats beans, you may be stingy. If you can feed your whole family with beans and add some rice, you’re probably thrifty. To be thrifty is to gain the full value of everything that you have access to, from parks to libraries to your church sale. Stinginess feels out of whack, while thrifty habits allow you to keep your life in calm balance. From Romans 8:28, “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.” If you have thrifty skills, be ready to share these abilities with those who haven’t learned to manage with less.
Generosity: Money and More
Keeping your life full often means keeping your life open. If you have resources, sharing your wealth will yield blessings that you didn’t know you needed or wanted! From Psalm 112:5, “Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.” Being generous means more than money. Be ready to share your skills and strengths as well; from Galatians 6:2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” This time is challenging for many who have never had to do without. Thrifty skills are often passed down from our elders, but many children moved away from their parents early in life and grandchildren may have missed out on such training.
Generosity doesn’t have to mean just money. You may be able to teach thrifty skills, help others increase their ability to earn enough to support their family, or assist in handing out resources, such as volunteering at a soup kitchen. Finally, seek to give anonymously. Knowing that you can be a blessing to someone else can be blessing enough to you. From Matthew 6:1, “Be careful that you don’t do your charitable giving before men, to be seen by them, or else you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.” The good feeling from giving anonymously will bless you for years to come.
A prayer to maintain a generous spirit: Loving God, thank you for the gifts that you have granted to me and those around me. Help me to remain constant and confident in you when the world shows me only want and worry. As I celebrate my inclusion in your embrace, let me reach out to those left alone and afraid. Help me to remember your bountiful generosity. Amen