With the year coming to a close, we wanted to take some time to reflect on the relationship between gratitude and generosity, remembering why it’s so important to express one just as frequently as the other. This is the first in a series of three.
We spend a lot of our time thinking about what generosity means, not just how we can encourage more to experience its transformational powers, though we do that too.
Dr. Brené Brown is a renowned professor at the University of Houston. Her popular TED Talks highlight groundbreaking research, much of which centers on the relationship between gratitude, happiness, and generosity.
In every instance where a person described himself as “happy,” Dr. Brown found that she intentionally incorporated expressions of gratitude into her daily routine. Put simply, “Practicing gratitude invites joy into our lives.”
See, discontentment breeds a desire to have what you do not and do what you cannot, all the while taking for granted what you do have and what you can do.
If you’re not content and you’re not grateful for what you already have and what you already do, there’s little chance you’ll be willing to give of either, whether voluntarily or when it’s asked of you.
Here's the truth: discontentment is the greatest thief of joy and does little to stir us towards generosity.
While gratitude may not need to be present in order for someone to give, it is necessary if that giving will ever transform into generosity.
GRATITUDE PRECEDES GENEROSITY
What if virtue became lifestyle? What if gratitude became generosity?
In our next post, we’ll explore why thanking your givers is one of the most important things you can do as a church and how the simple act of saying “thank you” may just lead to an even more generous community. Subscribe below for the next two posts in this series!
