Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. Proverbs 11:25
“People rightly say that money cannot buy happiness. But money and happiness are still related in a curious way. Happiness can be the result, not of spending more money on oneself, but rather of giving money away to others. Generous financial givers are happier people, as we will see.
So, while money cannot buy happiness, giving it away actually associates with greater happiness. The same holds true for other forms of generous giving, such as volunteering and taking care of family and neighbors. This win-win outcome of generosity also holds true for other kinds of well-being, such as health, avoidance of depression, purpose in life and personal growth.
This paradox of generosity has very significant implications. It points to an important general principle that people ought to be aware of, which is that — contrary to the “common sense” suggested by strict economic cost-benefit analysis — generous givers actually tend to enhance themselves personally by reducing what they spend on themselves.
People actually grow by giving themselves away. By caring for other people, those who give generously end up increasing the quality of their own lives. For people who want to be happy, to enjoy health, to lead purposeful lives — which we assume includes nearly everyone — this paradox of generosity is important to understand.
It tells us that we ought not simply work to acquire, to accumulate, to save, to grasp, and keep and spend for ourselves. We need instead to live into the paradox of generosity. We need to learn to share our resources generously with others. Then, in turn, we will likely find ourselves happier, healthier, and more purposeful in life.”
Christian Smith and Hilary Davidson in The Paradox of Generosity: Giving We Receive, Grasping We Lose (Oxford: OUP, 2014) 11-12.
I am typing this from New Delhi airport about to board my long flight to Tokyo and then my connection from Tokyo to Denver. This will post somewhere en route. My heart is filled with gratitude for an amazingly fruitful trip. To see the organization that I have had the privilege of helping mobilize in India for rallying greater generosity, visit the EFAC India website.
While I am exhausted, I am not empty. I feel enriched. It’s what happens when we live into the paradox of generosity. We don’t figure it out until we live it out. Solomon grasped this as today’s verse reveals. It took me years to figure out. Have you? I never dreamed that God would provide such opportunities for service.
What are you waiting for? Live into the paradox!