The one and only reason you're not generous
"Elijah...went to Zarephath. As he came to the town gate, he saw a widow collecting sticks. He called out to her, 'Please get a little water for me in this cup so I can drink.'She went to get some water. He then said to her, 'Please get me a piece of bread.'
“As surely as the Lord your God lives,' she replied, 'I don’t have any food; only a handful of flour in a jar and a bit of oil in a bottle. Look at me. I’m collecting two sticks so that I can make some food for myself and my son. We’ll eat the last of the food and then die.'"
~ 1 Kings 17:10-12
Would you consider yourself to be a generous person?
I don't simply mean generous in the sense of sharing money or possessions. I also mean a generous spirit, who welcomes the outsider and has an abundance mentality (there are enough jobs, money, relationships, success, etc to go around and therefore I can be openhanded) as opposed to a scarcity mentality (there are not enough jobs, money, relationships, success, etc, and therefore I must take what I can before someone else does).
For example a generous person may realize another person's success does not diminish my own opportunity for success, therefore I do not need to step on another person to gain an opportunity, wish failure on another person, or compare myself to another person with envy.
On the other hand, a person with a scarcity mindset may compete for attention and recognition on a professional level, or on a personal level they may hold on to unhealthy relationships because they think there are not enough healthy ones out there and they could end up alone.
On a scale of 1-10, how would you rate your level of generosity? Do you know anyone to whom you'd give a 9-10, or a 1-2?
No matter what reasons we give for not being generous ("that's just how the world works"..."if I don't take it someone else will"..."no one else will help me"..."I need to prepare for the worst"..."I'm just being realistic"...) every excuse boils down to one core issue: fear.
A widow's dilemma
In the story above, the widow in Zaraphath understandably began her interaction with Elijah feeling very guarded and fearful. She had not had an easy life, there literally was not enough food in her home for her and her son to have two meals, and up to this point she had to fend for herself because no one in her life was helping her. It's little wonder why her response to Elijah's request for food focused on resource-limitations and self-preservation.
However, Elijah's response to the widow did not begin with her lack of resources or her past experiences with scarcity. The first thing Elijah addressed was the widow's fear.
"Elijah said to her, 'Don’t be afraid! Go and do what you said. Only make a little loaf of bread for me first. Then bring it to me. You can make something for yourself and your son after that. This is what Israel’s God, the Lord, says: The jar of flour won’t decrease and the bottle of oil won’t run out until the day the Lord sends rain on the earth.' The widow went and did what Elijah said. So the widow, Elijah, and the widow’s household ate for many days."
Elijah actually does three things here: (1) he addresses her fear; (2) he breaks her self-focus ("Make a little loaf of bread for me first"); and (3) he builds her trust in God by promising her a miracle. Amazingly, she does what Elijah says and this unnamed Gentile widow becomes a great hero of faith. Her trust in God overcomes her fear and allows her to be generous.
Fear robs generosity, and worse
It is very difficult to be generous in any way when God's love and abundance slips out of the picture and we're challenged by a belief in finite resources. In fact, fear does not only limit generosity. Pray as You Go (a free daily prayer app I like to use) puts it this way: "Fear makes it almost impossible to show love to others. It is often fear that makes us wary of the foreigner, of the migrant, or the poor."
Fear and love (from which generosity flows) cannot share the same room, the same thought, or the same mindset. They are antithetical to each other. Therefore, the best way to remove fear is to grow in love, for "perfect love drives out fear" (1 John 4:18). When this happens, our love for God is displayed by our trust in him, and our love for others is displayed in our generosity toward them.
The widow goes through a powerful transformation in a short amount of time and we see her whole heart completely change in a couple of verses. Our transformation into people of love who trust God and are generous toward others may not be so dramatic, but the Holy Spirit is at work within us for form this character of Jesus within us, step by step, everyday of our lives. He is birthing self-giving love, which in turn is building a contagious trust and beautiful generosity.
PAUSE and REFLECT
Where do your fears get the best of you and rob your trust in God and generosity toward others? My scarcity mindset can rear its head around time (not enough time, therefore I work when I should rest), creativity (feeling like inspiration and creativity are a limited resource), and finances (concern about future scarcity). I don't live in these places, but when fear rises it's often around one of these three topics.
How I would love to always live a life full of love displayed through trust in God and generosity toward others! Alas, I don't. Am I the only one that hungers to live always out of love? I don't think so.
So where do you want to see this love that drives out fear grow in your life?
The answer to this issue is understanding God's love and care for us.
NEXT STEPS
1. Pause to consider where your fears rob you of trust in God and generosity toward others.
2. Can you let God into some of those fears? How might he want to offer you love and encouragement? Take a few moments today to invite God to look into your heart and touch your fears so that you may more fully grasp his loving care for you.
3. What is one decision you can make this week that will go against your fearful mindset in one area of life and instead invite a deeper trust in God? Start small and do it this week.