Having a Generous Mindset in 2022

“…Give to them as the Lord your God has blessed you. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and the Lord your God redeemed you. That is why I give you this command today.” Deuteronomy 25:14-15

Lately, God has been teaching me about having a generous mindset. I’ve learned over the years that I can tend towards a scarcity mindset. I can worry that there won’t be enough. But I have felt the Holy Spirit ask me to trust that God has authority over money, and that He actually commands us to be generous.

“The wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously;” Psalm 37:21

God showed me that a generous mindset blesses your life through my friend, Kat. I’m giving her a little impromptu shout out here because Kat is quite literally the most generous person I know. She is also one of the happiest people I know (no coincidence there). You can’t out-tip Kat at a restaurant. You won’t bring a sweeter house warming gift. You won’t clock more volunteer hours. Kat is a giver, and as scripture promises, she is blessed.

“Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice.” Psalm 112:5

One day, I felt God ask me to start tipping whenever and wherever I can, even if culturally it’s acceptable not to do so. God asked me to trust that I would always have enough, even if I gave more away. This practice has begun to uproot fear’s deep hold in my heart and teach me about abundance. It has begun to do a good work, showing me that generosity is a component of the golden rule. If I wish for people to be generous with me, I ought to be generous with people.

1 Timothy 6:18 “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.”

I’m not going to lie to you, there have been some months where I felt like being a stingy Scrooge. You know the deal. Maybe the car needed some extra repair, or we took a trip, or had a large medical bill, or gas prices went way up, way fast. In those months, I felt like pulling back. Like I had a right to be stingy once again.

But in God’s kindness, He continually opens my hands up. This is the verse that I repeat in my head to remember that I serve an abundant God:

“The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.” Psalm 23: 1

God will take care of you. I hope you can take a deep breath and remember that today. God owns everything. Everything is His. He takes care of His kids, and calls us to take care of others.