Stewardship of Life

Testimony of a Generosity Jedi

By Rob Blezard, September 12, 2013

I am a Jedi of typing. No brag, just fact. Seated at the keyboard I can close my eyes, lean my head back and let the words flow from my fingertips like lightning from the clouds.

But I remember those torturous high school days, when I was one of two “college bound” students surrounded by future office workers in the business typing class. The keys of our manual typewriters were blank,  so we had to memorize exactly where each letter was. And we had to strike with the proper finger.

Touch typing seemed about as natural as eating peas with a knife. I made tons of mistakes. But I was determined to learn.  Forty years of writing and editing later, I am Jedi master at the keyboard.

Fact is, most things take desire, time and practice to do well, and even more desire, more time and more practice for proficiency. The same holds true for living with generosity. Good stewardship starts with desire and requires discipline and practice.

But how can we cultivate the desire for people to live generously, when the whole proposition is counter-intuitive — at least according to the thinking of the world. The law of generosity says the more money, energy and time we give away, the more enriched our lives will become. Illogical. Counter-cultural in a world that tells us that only accumulation and endless acquisition is what makes our lives wealthy.

Like most truths of faith, the paradox of generous giving cannot be grasped intellectually, but only experienced by those who sometimes must be persuaded, coaxed or enticed to try.  That’s why we need to witness to others about the value of giving. Give them the map and invite them to take the journey for themselves.

Tell your story of giving, and get others to share theirs. Collect quotes and articles by people who have learned to live generously.

For instance, there’s Rick Warren, the pastor who wrote “The Purpose-Driven Life.” When he made millions from his book, he became a “reverse tither,” living on 10 percent of his income and giving 90 percent to the church.

He explains: “Every time I give, it breaks the grip of materialism in my life. Every time I give, it makes me more like Jesus. Every time I give, my heart grows bigger.” Now that’s testimony! Rick Warren is a generosity Jedi.

 

Photo of this non-copyright-infringing parody of a licensed character by Phillip West, used by Creative Commons license. Thanks!