“Why are some people generous and others not? One church launched a study to determine what causes some members to be more generous than others. Much to the researchers’ surprise, it was neither the cleverness of the church’s appeals nor the power of the preaching. Instead, the most significant factor was whether the person had been taught generosity as a child. The impact of parents in teaching their children to give was the key that opened the world of giving. This is a powerful reminder to those of us who decry the lack of generosity today—what have we done to train our children in the ways of generosity?”
Dave Toycen in The Power of Generosity: How to Transform Yourself and Your World (Waynesboro: Authentic Media, 2004) 9.
Today Jenni and I give thanks for the generosity of our parents toward us, as well as the way in which our grown children have become conduits of God’s generosity. As we send them both off to college, we are realizing that we are not “done” but rather “experienced” and positioned to help other children grasp generosity.