Designing a generous life
Have you ever met an unhappy generous person? Even people who aren’t Bible readers will have heard some iteration of the mantra “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” But is that true?
Giving to the poor – and other forms of generosity – is a core tenet of Christianity, and indeed all three of the Abrahamic religions(Christianity, Judaism and Islam). People of faith tend to practise generosity as part of their spiritual discipline, and there are numerous examples throughout history of how Christians have funded hospitals, orphanages, and schools for the benefit of society. But even as the influence of religion wanes in western culture, science picks up the tab with studies that point to the fact that showing generosity is indeed a good thing!
The Centre for Brain Health finds that being generous activates your brain’s pleasure centre, thereby reducing the level of stress hormones in your body. As a result, people who give time or money to support causes they care about experience greater happiness and psychological well-being. They’re even more likely to live longer! (source: Enhance Well-Being Through Generosity (centerforbrainhealth.org))
Faith or no faith, the concept of well-being and developing an integrated lifestyle is increasingly on people’s radars and has become a pursuit for many. I’d therefore like to explore how we can be more intentional about designing our lives to be generous.
Four characteristics of a generous mindset
At Stewardship – a Christian charity that serves both donors and charitable causes – our vision is to see a world transformed by generosity, both in the giving and the receiving. Earlier this year, we launched our inaugural Generosity Report and, as part of the research, we interviewed 15 active givers to try to understand what motivated them. From these conversations, four overarching characteristics emerged as the foundation for a generous mindset.
The first one was gratitude. A common theme among participants was that they recognised what they had in life as a gift, a blessing, and they wanted to give back for what they had been so fortunate to receive.
The second was empathy. You may have seen this to be true in your own life, that when you have a first-hand experience of being in need, you are more alert to other people’s needs and inclined to respond by giving of your money/time/skill to help alleviate that need.
The third characteristic was a sense of responsibility. We experience this when we see and understand the needs around us. For example, our research participants recognised the long-term cost for their favourite charities to keep going and to be sufficiently resourced. They responded accordingly by planning and committing their own finances to ensure that the good work can continue.
And finally, there was trust. Are we willing to give our money away without controlling how and where it gets spent? Our research found that generous people want to give thoughtfully and wisely with a sense of trust in what they’re giving to. This requires organisations to demonstrate good governance, accurate impact measurements, and integrity-filled leadership. With these things in place, generosity can be practised with freedom and joy.
What could the future look like?
We don’t have to look far to see need everywhere. Many charities are struggling, state institutions can’t keep up with demand, and people are suffering in various ways. The good news is that God has called and resourced us, His Church, to stand in the gap and meet the physical and spiritual needs around us – we are already equipped! The bad news is we’re slacking a bit. Our research found that if every Christian in the UK were to set aside 10% of his or her income (the biblical tithe), we’d see £7 billion released per year for positive societal impact. Currently, we’re only giving around £2 billion – which is still a lot, but could be so much more!
Imagine how meaningfully our nation’s social landscape could change for the better if every Christian intentionally designed their life for generosity. Now imagine how significant that change would be if every person, regardless of faith, designed their life this way!
Let’s practise gratitude. Let’s acknowledge our own needs and be alert and responsive to others’ needs. Let’s recognise our responsibility to care for those around us and ensure that life-changing charitable work can continue. And let’s trust that when we engage thoughtfully and wisely, the outcome will be positive, regardless of whether it’s what we expect or hope for.
The God of the universe is ultimately in control, but He chooses to use us to be a blessing on this earth. Let’s lean into that and start designing our lives for generosity.
Annika Greco Thompson
Growth and Relationships Manager
Stewardship
