he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.
Proverbs 11:25
Australia is a country that is known for lending a helping hand. The bush fires, floods, tsunami, red shield appeal are all examples where we reach into our pockets to help others who are doing it tough. But do we limit generosity to giving money once or twice a year? What about our daily interactions with those around us?
I have always enjoyed being able to give to people financially especially when there in no expectation and it comes as a great surprise to the receiver. The point of the gift is to bless the person in need but as this proverb suggests, the person giving the gift often finds the real blessing is in the giving not the receiving.
Recently I have been reminded that generosity stretches beyond just finances, though this is often an important place to start. The ability to give someone your time and attention may be the gift they really need. This then turns around each of our daily interactions from the subconscious what can I get out of this person to the pretence of how can I brighten this persons day. Imagine if we were able to leave every conversation having made that persons day just a little bit better. It really is a challenge sometimes especially when you can tend to be task focused like me.
Generosity; to give without the expectation of anything in return. Be generous in finance and love. You may find that a little self sacrifice brings the greatest returns in life.
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