Three Levels of Generosity

I have been blessed to have been able to give more often than to receive. From my early years, I had been taught and told to give to others and share whatever I have. I have been brought up in the belief that life is all about giving and being generous. Often, it has been an easy lesson to learn; though there have been times it is difficult and challenging. I often put a limit to my generosity.

I see there are three levels of giving and generosity.

The first level is when I give to others because it makes me feel good or I expect something in return. I give out of my abundance. I give away what I would usually not need for myself. I give with the question “What is in it for me?” at the back of my mind. It is giving while counting the cost or laboring and expecting a reward. I am focused on myself.

The second level is when I give to others because they truly need my generosity. Now, I truly see the other person. I reach out in love and care to others in order to respond to their needs. I give with the question: “How may I help?” in my mind and in my heart. The focus of my giving is the other person. I am out of myself.

The third level of giving is doing so because it is God’s will for me. It is giving out of my own neediness and even emptiness. I truly possess nothing. Everything I have is gift. I should not be so attach then to anything that I cannot give it away. Realizing I have nothing, I also come to realize that even in my emptiness and nothingness, I still have something to give – myself. To be willing to give when there is no more to give and the question I shall ask is “Did I fill the world with love?”

“Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”
Luke 12:32-48