The study of generosity is not anything new. It’s been going on for decades, and research consistently suggests that generosity can improve our mental and physical health and promote longevity. The more directly we see our personal efforts impact others, the more we gain from the experience of giving.
Furthermore, doing good for others has been shown to decrease anxiety, reduce depression, relieve stress, and enhance well-being. One possible explanation for these health benefits is that generosity triggers the release of oxytocin, a brain chemical that helps to decrease inflammation, improve wound healing, and decrease blood pressure, among others things. In fact, oxytocin has been described as the most amazing molecule in the world.
“When we are generous, we are the most like God.” – Leadershipology.com
Generosity is fully expressed when you give your best. That is what God did when He gave His only Son Jesus. Being a generous person is not about possessing a certain personality, characteristic, or having more than others. It’s about giving the best YOU have out of a heart of love. When you are generous with your time, talent and your treasure, then and only then can you discover what it is to be truly God-like.
“Where your pleasure is, there is your treasure; where your treasure is, there is your heart; where your heart is, there is your happiness.” – Augustine
Many years ago, a young boy of 16 had decided to leave home because his father was too poor to support him any longer. So, the day came…he left home with all his worldly possessions in a bundle dangling from his hand, resolving as he journeyed, to set up in business as a soap maker in New York.
Remembering the last words of his mother and also the godly advice given him by the captain of a canal boat, the youth dedicated his life to God, determining to return to his Maker an honest tithe of every dollar he earned.
So, when his first dollar came in, he dedicated ten cents of it to the Lord. This he continued to do. And the dollars rolled in! Soon this young man became partner in a soap business; and when his partner died a few years later, he became sole owner of the business.
The prosperous businessman instructed his bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and to credit to it one tenth of all his income. The business grew miraculously. The honest businessman now dedicated two-tenths of his earnings; and then three-tenths, four-tenths; and finally, five-tenths. It seemed as if his sales increased in exact proportion to his generosity, so that soon his brand of soap became a household word throughout the world. His name? William Colgate, of the famed Colgate Palmolive Company.
“I never would have been able to tithe the first million dollars I ever made if I had not tithed my first salary, which was $1.50 per week. I believe it is every man’s religious duty to get all he can honestly and to give all he can. Think of giving not as a duty but as a privilege.” – John D. Rockefeller, Jr. (1874-1960)
Generosity makes your world expand!
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