The 2012 Science of Generosity Initiative defined generosity as “the virtue of giving good things to others freely and abundantly…….What exactly generosity gives can be various things: money, possessions, time, attention, aid, encouragement, emotional availability, and more.” What one possesses does not determine their generosity; there are rich folk and poor people who are generous, just like there are the miserly rich and stingy poor.
Will your enemies and friends add generosity to your stellar qualities? (vs. adjectives like selfish, greedy, cheap, or stingy.) Maybe you would want to become generous or shift gears to greater generosity when you realize (as indicated by several studies) that generous people have settled peace, emotional contentment, improved health, greater happiness, longer life expectancy, greater job satisfaction, deepening relationships, and reduced stress & anxiety.
The best example of generosity is the Lord Jesus Christ. In a recent midweek reflection on Jesus, our prayer group considered the much-loved story of Jesus feeding a huge multitude (Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6), with the consensus that Jesus was most generous and less calculative.
Want to be a devoted follower of Jesus? Here are words from Apostle Paul: I have been a constant example of how you can help those in need by working hard. You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ (Acts 20:35). And instruction from Jesus Himself: Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full – pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The measure you give will determine the measure you get back. (Luke 6:38)
Why not be generous? Or doubly generous? O, to be like Jesus😊
—
Jeba Moses
