Generosity

Sunday’s sermon was about living a life that allows you to give whatever God asks of you because you trust Him completely to provide. Living outside of what others would consider the safety zone, because God has called you to meet a need. It was a great reminder that God is our provider and that walking with Him will allow us to be generous in a way that others would deem unsafe.

How do we teach that kind of generosity to our kids? It is easy to think that we don’t really have enough to share because raising a family is expensive. Looking at the bills vs. the income often leaves us thinking that we need to work a full-time or a second job so that we have some wiggle room.  My advice (and I am pretending you want it) would be to learn to live on less rather than living less.

If you are a parent, you have a calling… a number one priority… a vocation that is more important than anything you can ever do. You are to shape the heart and direct the steps of your child so they will learn that following Jesus is the best thing they can ever do. Nobody else has been called to be the spiritual guide for your child. Not the church, not the grandparents, not the private school.  It is YOU that needs to fill that position to the very best of your ability. Maybe you can do that and work full-time. Maybe you know that you are more effective in parenting when you are working part-time. Maybe your kids need you to be a full time parent. This is something that you work out as a couple so that you know that you are investing your time in the most effective manner when it comes to raising your kids.

Here are three tips to give you more wiggle room financially so you don’t feel trapped into working more hours and sacrificing time with the kids. FIRST, take a hard look at what you have. Do you need it? Last week as I was dusting my “stuff” I thought, “I don’t need that and it brings me no particular joy or evokes no special memories” and into the garage sale pile it went.  SECOND, Look at your monthly expenses. I don’t like the magazines articles that boast of teaching you how to shave $$ of your monthly expenses. They typically instruct me to stop spending money on something I already don’t spend money on! But, there are ways to cut expenses if you stop thinking, “well that is only $7 a week.” Look at every expense as if it matters, because it does. If going to the store or shopping online causes you to see things you didn’t know you wanted until you saw it, then STOP shopping. Only go to the store when you have to and stick to what is on your list. THIRD, look in your trash can. What is going to waste? Are you cooking too much? Are you using disposable things that cost you more than reusable things? Don’t make, take or use more than you need.

I am not trying to solve all your financial issues.  I just want you to find the joy of living within your means so that you can truly live generously. It is the best way to raise kids that will not feel entitled and selfish. So don’t get sucked into thinking that earning more is the answer to being more generous. Being generous with your time is critically important when raising your family. Working more hours will rob you of that, so see if you can’t find ways to carefully spend by asking yourself, “What do I have that I don’t need? What do I spend unnecessarily? What do I waste?” And live on less rather than living less!