Hilarious Giving
“Let giving flow from your heart…
let it spring up freely…
all because God loves hilarious giving!”
2 Cor 9:7, TPT
Oh, I love this!
Well, I love all things hilarious.
Let giving not feel like an obligation. Let it be spontaneous and full of love. I’ve never heard it quite like this in my head before. It makes so much sense that God is up there tickled by the measure of generosity that surprises even the people who are giving. I like this image very much.
And this is followed up by 2 Cor 9:8 which says, “Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace so that you will have more than enough of everything - every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing that you do.”
You will have enough to give everything you have. And if you’re like me, hoping to be helpful to a fault, this is musical. I have nothing to give, and everything I need, and I am often able to do whatever I can.
To give in the way that you can give.
To be an ear, or a heart, or a hand.
To increase another human’s peace
by giving away some of yours,
which is nothing…
because peace increases
with every movement of the heart.
And since this giving
flows from the heart,
there is immediate rejuvenation.
Nothing lost.
“…For it is in giving that we receive…”
from the Prayer of St. Francis
You don’t have to give your house away to be a generous giver. You don’t have to cross boundaries that threaten your own self care. Sometimes a smile and a wink is a day changer for the recipient of it. Sometimes it’s a meal, or a clean closet, or a free babysitter that people need.
Giving is supposed to feel like a gift for you both. It’s quality time, or a postcard, or even just a phone call. It is an opportunity to be the gift given.
Charity doesn’t always have to mean money, although when you care about the cause this is good for the soul too. Generosity, in its simplest form, is just the acknowledgement of another soul’s goodness.
”God loves hilarious giving!”
So much so that he’ll fall back in his throne belly-laughing at the sight of your goodness. So much so that he will be delighted in the ridiculousness of your generosity.
And on the days that you cannot bring yourself to give, in the moments when you need to rest and replenish and begin again new… it is, I imagine, the greatest generosity to give this to yourself. To allow yourself to breathe. To treat yo’self. To ask for help. To be the receiver of someone else’s charity, and to let another give to you.
I do not imagine God laughing in this instance though. I’m pretty sure this is more of a moved-to-tears moment. I believe it is the greatest hope of all the heavens that each of us finds pure joy in ourselves. That we figure out a way to see what we look like through eyes that find us absolutely lovable, and that we are given a motivation to give generously to our own peace.
I believe I’ll talk about this more in the next one actually.
"Love proves itself by deeds,
and how shall I prove mine? ...
I can prove my love
only by scattering flowers,
that is to say,
by never letting slip
a single little sacrifice,
a single glance, a single word;
by making profit
of the very smallest actions,
by doing them all for love.
… [to] rejoice for love,
for this is my way of scattering flowers."
St. Therese of Lisieux
Practice giving just to give. Obligatory charity is not good for the soul, not mine anyway. Offer your heart and time to people and causes that you care about, and it will change the way the world feels around you.
Reach out to a friend who needs comfort. I promise you know someone right now who needs to know that you love them.
Think about that 10%. Do you give it? And does it go somewhere that feeds your soul?
Food Banks need our help. Can you volunteer? Got some food to donate?
No extra food? Well, what do you care about? There’s really a lot of people out there who could use a hand right now. This could not be a better time to get involved actually.
Ask for help. If you’re having a rough time, there is a person in your life who wants to be good for you. Make the call, and ask for what you need. You can do it. You are worth it. You are not a burden, or a nuisance. And if you can’t think of anyone today, hit the contact button. I have time to talk.
Not to push the point or anything here, but… Shower the people you love with love. Thanks for being here, James Taylor. You’re so good!
