Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2
“Generous American experience happiness in a different way–their lives and far from perfect, but genuine contentedness is present. They also trust that the world is an abundant place full of blessings, a world in which they can rest easy.
In contrast, by the lights of ungenerous American, there are many way to be unhappy, to live an unfulfilled life. The possibilities for how unhappiness can manifest itself in the lives of the ungenerous people whom we interviewed seem endless. Charting the course for a good life–one that is happy, vibrant, and fulfilling–is, in fact, difficult. This is especially true when the farthest sight on the horizon is an acquisitive American dream of picket fences, shiny new cars, and white-sand vacations.
Of course, these are some of the comforts and privileges that most of the people we interviewed want out of life, including those who are generous. But we observe a crucial difference between people who practice generosity and those who do not.
Generous Americans have many desires that are not materialistic and actively seek non-materialistic means to happiness in relationships and communities. Their lives are about much more than accumulating token middle-class belongings.
Generous American cannot always articulate it, but the pattern of their approach to life, as evidenced in our interviews, suggests that their pursuit of a good life involves much more than the enjoyment of earthly pleasures.”
Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson in The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose (New York: OUP, 2014) 163.
I love it when research affirms what we are learning on our generosity journey. We like to say that we pour God’s money into mission (giving to things God cares about), memories (spending money on special occasions like this family New Zealand trip), and of course, the basic things we need for life.
The findings of Smith and Davidson advise readers to “actively seek non-materialistic means to happiness” which seems to echo the Apostle Paul in his clear instructions to the Colossians. We say a hearty “Amen” from down under!