LIVING, LEARNING & LOVING during LENT
Lenten devotionals for March and April. We will focus on a different concept each day of the week: Sundays: Resting/Taking Sabbath Mondays: Fasting Tuesdays: Giving Wednesdays: Serving Thursdays: Praying Fridays: Studying/Learning Saturdays: Celebrating/Playing.
April 8 (Tuesday – Giving)
- Scripture: 1 Timothy 6:18 – They are to do good, to be rich in good works, generous, and ready to share.
- Reflection: The charitable resource Tithely ponders the spiritual practice of giving in this way: “What happens when we shift our thinking on generosity from something we need to do, to someone we get to be … how do we grow a generous spirit?” Excellent question. So how do we practice growing our generosity and our deeper understand of how to give, so we are not just offering some slice of our resources and finances, but sharing our whole selves?
Part of the answer about growing a giving, generous soul springs from motivation. Giving out of confidence about mutuality and reciprocity, giving based on the belief that we are interconnected and must support each other to thrive and flourish, means we’re caring for others when we give. Mentor Avinash Ananda notes, “You could contribute positive energy, a smile, gifts ( both material and non-material). Even your work could be an act of contributing when you work with love, joy, and excellence. The act of listening with 100 percent attention and care is also an example of giving.” When we give from a positive spirit, we are not being transactional, expecting a reward or an outcome or benefit or payback. We are not merely focusing on our own bottom line, but the wellbeing of others, too.
Instead, to become a more generous person in the spiritual discipline of giving, we cultivate the motivation of care for others. Our decisions then arise from a place of abundance rather than based on fear of scarcity. In short, love our neighbors as ourselves. Share. One spiritual teacher Avinash Ananda notes, “Even in business, the way to earn … is to add value… to contribute.. to give. Leadership is not just about taking charge … Leadership is more about taking care of those in your charge. By contributing to their growth and development. Businesses become great when they take care of the interests of their employees, customers, community and all other stakeholders.” The writer Mike Farley says, “Generosity is twofold. One, it provides for the needs of others who thank God, and two it shows our thankfulness to God… When you see someone in need and give, you are not just giving money or time or talent, you are … dispensing grace in the name of Christ.” The promise of our faith is that we will have enough. Enough to share.
Challenging yourself to slowly increase your capacity to give of yourself and your resources is a worthy long-term goal. It can be a lifetime’s work. Such growth can occur incrementally, step-by-step. Begin by creating a budget that sets aside some funds. Pace yourself as you offer time, talents, energy, attention, or other resources, to support causes about which you care. Do so in small measures or doses, so it’s not overwhelming. Build the muscle, the habit, the mindset over an extended period of time.
Giving, as a spiritual discipline, ought to foster and be rooted in joy rather than stress. It should deepen your own satisfaction as a spiritual and emotional being. If it is causing burn-out or anxiety, revisit your choices. Of course, we always caution that you balance such aspirations with sustainability. Monitor whether you’re volunteering enough or too much, or being pulled in too many directions. Focus. Seek equilibrium, which also cultivates the capacity to give and be generous with a whole heart, without fear. Be careful of your household’s wellbeing, and be sure you can meet your fundamental commitments first.
By contrast, do you benefit from the giving of others? Do you receive the assistance of their time and attention, their talents, their presence, or their funds? If so, in what ways to do you express appreciation? Can you communicate your thankfulness to organizations or individuals who help you? - Spiritual Practice Prompt: Take time to thank a nonprofit or person who gives time, resources, or talents to help you and/or your preferred cause. Start your generosity by recognizing the generosity of others, and learning from those examples.
Song:
- Hands by Jewel: https://youtu.be/AfsS3pIDBfw?si=ejeFUTgJl6_y9fU7
- Humble and King by Tim McGraw: https://youtu.be/awzNHuGqoMc?si=jVVs8E3zn_qrjhZN
- When Oceans Rise by Hillsong United: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XAuJx8cl4A
- Clocks by Cold Play: https://youtu.be/d020hcWA_Wg?si=ufKKjslzJz51ibIe
You give but little when you give of your possessions.
It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
There are those who have little and give it all.
These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.
There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.
It is well to give when asked, but it is better to give unasked, through understanding;
You often say, “I would give, but only to the deserving.”
The trees in your orchard say not so, nor the flocks in your pasture.
They give that they may live.
And he who has deserved to drink from the ocean of life deserves to fill his cup from your little stream.”
— Khalil Gibran
April 8 Daily Devotional