Be a cheerful giver

Are you a cheerful giver? Or do you believe in the saying, “Give until it hurts”?

Here’s a story I want to share with you written by certain Joy in the book, Living Water 2009, Bible Reflections For Today’s Catholic. “I recalled my mom saying, “You should give more to those who cannot repay you.” I was amazed by her generosity: helping others to go to school, giving livelihood to the unlettered, and home to the homeless, not expecting from them in return. Unknowingly, as I grew up, I was influenced by her.

“Now that I am growing in the Lord, I am learning even more the deeper meaning of giving. In our community, our spiritual elders continue to teach us to give generously of our time, talent, and treasure. One of the ways I give of my time is serving in missions, one of the ways I give of my talent is spreading the Gospel in my profession as a dentist. As I do these, the Lord continuously supplies my needs. He has given my family a car, is enabling us to have annual vacations, and is giving me good income in my clinic.

“An opportunity to give a blessing and not a loss, especially when you are in need of finances, good health, and healed relationship. Keep giving, and see how God will provide you with every blessing in abundance.”

Speaking of giving, I am reminded of what the priest told to the parishioners during his homily. He said, “When you give do not give those things which you feel that are of no use to you. Like what happened  when Mayon Volcano erupted, the resident needed help. Some of those assistance given to them were old clothes. Imagine, when I visited them there was an old woman who was wearing  gown while washing clothes;  a farmer was wearing barong tagalong while tilling the farm;  a janitor was wearing the uniform of the SSS; and a young mother was cooking wearing the uniform of a nurse . You can just imagine how these people looked with these old clothes donated...”

The “Got Questions website,”  states,  “ …The more we give in service to the Lord, the more we will get in return. As Paul declares, “God loved a cheerful giver” ( 2 Corinthians 9:7). Cheerful giving, therefore should be a way of life for the Christian who understands the grace of God. When we give generously and with a willing heart, God assures us He will watch over us and provide us (Isaiah 58:9)

There are ways we can be cheerful giver. Here are some examples as cited by “Man In The Mirror website:”

*We can give cheerfully when we sense we are on a mission for God. Nothing should make a  Christian man more “ cheerful” than to hear that his financial investment helped someone pass from death to eternal life.

*Give intentionally. We will sense the greatest impact when our giving is intentional. Your charitable giving is a spiritual investment. The church is God’s ordained institution for living out the gospel and impacting the world. The church baptizes us, marries us, and buries us – all the while bringing us to faith and maturity in Christ. Be intentional in your giving.

*Give generously. Remember:  A stingy planter gets a stingy crop; a lavish planter gets a lavish crop…God loves it when the giver delights in the giving.