what is generosity?
This is a true story. a fundraiser for a wesleyan university was visiting individuals who had been identified as potential donors. as they pulled up to a small home, an elderly woman opened the door. they wondered how this person in a modest home with simple furniture would have the means to contribute a large amount to a university. after talking for a while in the living, the fundraising visitor asked to use the bathroom. In the privacy of the room, they regretted wasting their time in a home with a poor elderly woman. what could she possibly have that would be worth the effort? when he attempted to flush the toilet, the pipes shook in the wall and the woman knocked on the door. "you aren't flushing the toilet are you? please use the water in the bathtub and just dip only enough with the bowl to make the toilet flush. Thank you." in great frustration, the fundraising man dipped a bowl in bathwater and flushed the toilet. "have a nice day", he said as he left. a short time later, a check arrived in the mail for $25,000 for the university.
generosity is not about the amount, it's about the heart. The woman did not have more money than most, she had prioritized her giving. she focused so thoroughly on the areas of her priority that she pinched and saved everywhere else, including in her bathroom water.
sometimes, we think about generosity as a big amount or a big gift. generosity is about giving from the right place, no matter the amount. Consider a gift of $30,000 from a billionaire. we wouldn't say that the billionaire was more generous than the elderly woman, even though they gave more. the billionaire didn't sacrifice what the elderly woman has sacrificed. it was her heart that proved her generosity, not her dollar amount.
as we think about generosity in our small groups, let's focus on the heart of our community. what do we really care about? generosity reveals our true priorities by exposing the ways in which we donate our time, energy and resources. when we give to one another, we reveal our heart of love and mutual dependance. often, our heart for each other is most visible by the sacrifices we make for the group.
generosity is not about the amount, it's about the heart. The woman did not have more money than most, she had prioritized her giving. she focused so thoroughly on the areas of her priority that she pinched and saved everywhere else, including in her bathroom water.
sometimes, we think about generosity as a big amount or a big gift. generosity is about giving from the right place, no matter the amount. Consider a gift of $30,000 from a billionaire. we wouldn't say that the billionaire was more generous than the elderly woman, even though they gave more. the billionaire didn't sacrifice what the elderly woman has sacrificed. it was her heart that proved her generosity, not her dollar amount.
as we think about generosity in our small groups, let's focus on the heart of our community. what do we really care about? generosity reveals our true priorities by exposing the ways in which we donate our time, energy and resources. when we give to one another, we reveal our heart of love and mutual dependance. often, our heart for each other is most visible by the sacrifices we make for the group.
