Giving Generously — Even When It's Hard

Generosity is countercultural in a consumer economy that constantly tells us we don't have enough and can never give away what we've worked hard to accumulate. And yet, consistent giving — tithing, charitable giving, spontaneous generosity — has a documented effect on the giver's relationship with money that is difficult to explain purely rationally.

People who give regularly to their church or charitable causes consistently report lower financial anxiety, not because giving makes them wealthier in the short term but because it loosens the grip that money can hold over us. Giving is a declaration that you are not owned by your possessions and that your security rests in something more reliable than a bank balance.

Tithing — giving ten percent of income to your local church — is the Biblical starting point for giving. For many families, getting to ten percent is a process that happens over years of incremental increase. Start where you can and grow in generosity as you grow in faith and financial stability. The practice itself builds trust — that God is faithful, that you will not run out, that His math works differently than ours.

Beyond tithing, look for opportunities to be spontaneously generous — picking up a friend's dinner, sponsoring a child in need, supporting a neighbor in a hard season. These acts of generosity are not just about the recipient. They shape the giver into someone who holds things more loosely, who sees other people's needs readily, and who experiences the deep joy that Scripture consistently promises comes from an open hand.