Motivating Generosity (The Home Edition)

 

It Starts With You

You are responsible for the world that you live in. It is not government’s responsibility. It is not your school’s or your social club’s or your church’s or your neighbor’s or your fellow citizen’s. It is yours, utterly and singularly yours.
- August Wilson

May we be committed to personally carrying out the actions that create a more just world.         - Sojourners

This is not about blaming the victim for their plight. Indeed, there is a movement that explains poverty and despair as a form of karma or cosmic justice. Among Christians this would be predetermination.(Not all Christians believe this.) It would be expressed as, "You get what you deserve." This is about the individual taking responsibility for making the world a better place, a personal responsibility.

Maybe this passage from Genesis helps explain. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 

- Genesis 2:15 (NIV)

Waiting for others to be generous in your place, may mean we're all going to wait. Besides, we cannot control the actions of others, only our own actions. 

Perhaps, the example we set will motivate other toward generosity. How can we become more generous? I found "Ten little ways we can become more generous". by Joshua Becker. Here's what he suggests:

Consider the benefits of generosity. Generous people report being happier, healthier, and more satisfied with life than those who don’t give. Generosity produces within us a sense that we are capable of making a difference in the world.

Embrace gratitude. Make a short list of the things in your life for which you are grateful. The most important step you can take to become more generous is to spend more time thinking about what you already possess and less time thinking about what you don’t.

 Start really small. If you’ve never given away money, start by giving away $1. No matter what dollar amount you choose, jump right in with something small. You can afford it… and that little push can help build momentum in your life towards generosity.

Divert one specific expense. For a set period of time (try 29 days), divert one specific expense to a charity of your choosing. You may choose to bring a lunch to work, ride your bike to work once/week, or give up Starbucks on Mondays (wait, make that Thursday). Calculate the money you’ll save and then redirect it to a specific charity/cause. 

Fund a cause based on your passions. There are countless charities/causes that need your support. And some of them are directly in-line with your most compelling passions.

 Find a person you believe in. If you find that you are more easily motivated and shaped by the people in your life rather than organizations/causes, use that tendency as motivation instead.

Spend time with people in need. One of the most effective antidotes for non-generosity is to make space in your life for those who actually need your help. After all, it is a very small step to go from knowing somebody in need to helping somebody in need. Rubbing shoulders with the poor just may change your impression of them forever.

Spend time with a generous person. 

Live a more minimalist life. Intentionally decide to own less. Oh sure, living a minimalist life won’t automatically make you a more generous person, but it will provide the space necessary to make it possible.