I was young and now I am old, yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken or their children begging bread. They are always generous and lend freely; their children will be a blessing.
~ Psalm 37:25-26
Out of all the practices of generosity, the final one is the most difficult:
A commitment to act.
Generosity without action is nothing more than good intention. And good intentions don’t make the unloved feel loved, the hungry fed, and sinner forgiven. Generosity requires action, people in motion and hands extended, to make it a reality.
But now it’s early January. Gift-giving has ended. Christmas is over. When the spirit of the season fades into the activity of a new year, the motivation toward generosity fades as well. It’s easier to think of generosity when serenaded by Christmas carols and bathed in Christmas tree lights. But when real life takes over in January, what happens to our giving spirit?
Generosity needs to be more than a December phenomenon. It needs to be a lifestyle carried into January and beyond.
Today’s post is short, intentionally so. You have an assignment, and rather than reading my words, I want you to come up with some of your own.
How will you make generosity an active part of your life and your family’s life in 2012? Will you . . .
• Volunteer at a nursing home?
• Make meals regularly for the sick or suffering?
• Commit to living in complete forgiveness toward others for the entire year?
• Write a “thank you” note once a week for a kindness offered?
• Start each prayer with a minute of thanksgiving?
• Memorize a handful of Bible verses on thankfulness?
• Commit to verbally affirming acts of generosity you see?
• Or ???
You decide. After all, it’s your life and your journey toward a generous life. But put some thought into it, talk to your teenage son and ask him what he would like to do to become a more generous person. And then write it down on a note card, committing together to making it part of your 2012.
One more assignment for you . . .
Leave a comment with your commitment and ideas. We’re all looking for creative ways to make generosity the legacy of our lives.
Happy 2012, my friends! May we recognize the wealth of blessing we have in Jesus, and then live in such a way as to share that wealth with everyone we meet.
