Giving generously is a privilege

This last week I was reading an article in Psychology Today about giving. The name of the article was “Well Being and Giving” by Steve Taylor. This is what the writer wrote: “If anything, it appears that there is a relationship between non-materialism and well-being. While possessing wealth and material goods doesn’t lead to happiness, giving them away actually does. Generosity is strongly associated with well-being.” (January 9. 2015) Are Taylor’s observations right?

In addition, a Time magazine article, “The Secret to Happiness Is Helping Others” by Jenni Santi, revealed some noteworthy information (August 4, 2017). Santi wrote: “Scientific research provides compelling data to support the anecdotal evidence that giving is a powerful pathway to personal growth and lasting happiness. Experiments show evidence that altruism is hardwired in the brain — and it’s pleasurable. Helping others may just be the secret to living a life that is not only happier but also healthier, wealthier, more productive, and meaningful.”

Hundreds of years ago, Saint Francis of Assisi affirmed this idea about giving. He said: “It is in giving that we receive.” Is that true or was Saint Francis of Assisi out of touch with humanity?

I settled on that phrase from Taylor’s article: “Generosity is associated with well-being.” I know of an incident that might illustrate Taylor’s suggestion.

A young father of four was critically injured in an accident. After weeks in the hospital, the injured man was finally released to go home. Their neighborhood church organized ways to help the injured man's family. A schedule was made for mowing their lawn, cleaning their house, watching the kids while the mom took the father to physical therapy, and other worthwhile ways of reaching out. One week, two church families volunteered to bring an evening meal to the injured man's family on two different nights.

The first meal was provided by two highly paid professional parents, both of whom were quickly climbing the ladder of financial success. Their lives were filled with babysitters, housekeepers, lawn professionals and country club memberships. They traveled with their young children on lavish vacations to exotic places. These parents also sent their kids to Grandma's, while the two of them spent a month backpacking through the south of France.

When the evening came for this couple to provide a meal, they delivered to the injured man’s family a box of frozen, precooked chicken strips, a can of potatoes, and a half full box of Popsicles. The family received a half box of Popsicles because the professional parents had taken out their own children's favorite flavors.

Then two days later, there was another evening meal delivered to the family. That meal was provided by a young family of six who lived on one income. They owned only one car. That family's lifestyle was far from lavish, but sufficient. Here is what that stay-at-home mom generously provided to the family: a delicious pot roast embellished with plump carrots and potatoes, fresh vegetables from her garden, delicious fruit in season, hot homemade rolls, and a plate of tasty chocolate chip cookies for the kids. She also included fresh, juicy tomatoes and yellow squash from her garden for the family to enjoy at another time. The mom included a note of encouragement to the injured man's family, and she offered to take both sets of children to the local play park for a free and fun afternoon.

Was this just my perception of it, or did these two meals give insight to the level of service and perspective toward a family in need? Could it be that one family considered providing a meal to be a duty to be fulfilled, an obligation signaling the least amount of effort? On the other hand, maybe the other family considered providing a meal to be a privilege of service to a family in need.

The Bible also makes reference to giving. Luke 6:45 reads”: A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart.”

Perhaps the frozen chicken strips were all that the seemingly financially wealthy couple could afford. Who knows? Their debt might have been so exorbitant that they had to just choose from something in their own food pantry.

The truth is that both couples gave. Yet I believe that the young couple who gave plentifully shared out of the overflowing abundance of their hearts. I believe that the blessing was far greater for them.

Judy Brandon is a Clovis resident. Contact her at: [email protected]