Its a season of parties, gifts, monetary contributions, get-togethers; for some of us it may be a season of dread and avoidance because the pressure to give is unbearable. 

Generally there are 4 types of givers:

  • Theatrical giver – this type of person is typically a show off and they want to be applauded for giving.
  • Conventional – this type gives because it is expected, so it must be done.
  • Transactional ‐ this type gives because there is a guaranteed expected return.
  • Moral giver – this type gives because God says so.

People who struggle to give generally believe they don’t have enough and are insecure/fearful of what may or may not happen so they hoard. This has nothing to do with their bank balance; its a spirit of lack.

People who give easily beleive there is enough, they are secure that somehow things will work out and they will always be okay; its a spirit of abundance.

Benefits of giving: 

  • It comes back to you in one form or another
  • It feels good to see the person’s gratitude and to make a difference in their lives
  • Its a sign of gratitude for what you have
  • It declares you are blessed and content
  • It opens doors for you
  • It lowers your stress levels
  • It increases your self esteem 

Whatever you give is a seed that you are sowing. You cannot get a harvest unless you plant seeds. The more seeds you plant, the bigger your harvest.

Furthermore, what you give others is a reflection of what you give to yourself. If you are stingy with others, chances are you are stingy with yourself in some form; you can only do to others what you first do to yourself.

Wherever you may be this festive season, give out of the abundance of your heart not because people expect it. You are the one who will have to live with the consequences of what you do. If giving is really hard for you, do some introspection and be honest with yourself, perhaps you live in a state of lack and have told yourself you will never go past a certain level in life. Whatever you beleive, your mind has no choice but to bring about that reality so choose wisely and consciously.

The best kind of giving is cheerfully done; expects nothing in return; and costs you something, (this means that you give something of value, e.g. if you have 100 loaves of bread and you give away 1, it hasn’t cost you much, but if you give away 30 loaves out of the 100, it’s cost you something) this is the kind of giving that marks a merry heart.

Give and it will come back to you, good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over. Its a universal principle that it must return to you so begin developing a spirit of abundance by tracing back to your childhood what made you beleive in lack. Replace those beliefs with positive ones that affirm abundance; e.g. “I always have enough” “abundance flows into my life” “I’m a giver” etc.

Always give what you have purposed to give, not grudgingly because you feel forced. You will feel good about yourself.