We just started a series at our church about becoming a giving people. As part of that, I decided I wanted to explore, for myself, what exactly generosity means.

31 Days seemed like a great time to do that! As I have in the past, I’ll be combining my own topic with the helpful prompts of Five Minute Free Writes.

A lot of bloggers go into this series very planned. As often happens, I am not. I’m doing this to get my creativity going again and to consistently put my words out there. I felt inspired by the scripture 2 Samuel 24:24.

I will not give as a sacrifice that which costs me nothing.

 

Writing always costs me something. Sometimes I get something in return, but not always. Since I’m talking about generosity, I want this series to also be a worshipful experience, to sacrifice what costs me much in time, energy and creativity.

Creativity can sometimes feel as though it is giving of nothing, but it can be, in fact giving of the very core of our souls. Click To Tweet

I’ve also come to realize that when we hold all that we have loosely, in the process of giving them away, we will realize how little they have cost us after all. My pastor said something similar in his sermon last week.

For me to release my words into the void, especially on a subject I’m just beginning to understand, feels as though it exacts a high cost. But I hope that during the journey of the next month, I’ll realize yet another area where it is easy to be generous.

 

Next –Day 1 – We Have Been the Receivers: Remembering Stories of Generosity Towards Us Makes Us Better Givers

Day 1- We Have Been the Receivers: Remembering Stories of Generosity Towards Us Makes Us Better Givers

Day 2- But What If I Need It? Being Generous When it Scares Us

Day 3 – Recognizing Our Assets: How Believing the Best About Ourselves Can Make Us More Generous

Day 4 – Does It Even Matter? When What We Have to Give Feels Too Small

Day 5- When Generosity Hurts: Original Sin and Sacrificial Giving

Day 6 – Love Keeps No Record of Wrongs: Having Generous Hearts Towards Our Families

Day 7 – When We Can’t Fix It: Recognizing Generosity That Provides Hope

Day 8 – Comfort and Joy: Being Generous with Our Presence

Day 9 – Inspire Not Require: Being an Example of Generosity to My Kids

Day 10- How Do I Start? Looking for Ways to Be Generous

Day 11 – Stop the Car and Open the Door: Grabbing Moments for Spontaneous Generosity

Day 12 – When Love Is a Choice: How Generosity Can Grow My Marriage

Day 13- Words Have Power: Being Generous With Our Speech

Day 14 – Don’t be Afraid to Ask: Targeting Specific Generosity

Day 15- When I Don’t Want to Be Generous: Fighting With My Selfish Humanity

Day 16 – Being Generous with Our Prayers: The Resource That Never Runs Out

Day 17- Believe the Best First: Giving Strangers the Benefit of Our Good Opinion

Day 18 – Don’t Let Negative Experiences Steal Your Generous Heart

Day 19 – Looking and Listening: Discerning Who Needs Our Generosity

Day 20 – Without An Audience: Learning to Give in Secret

Day 21 – Where to Begin: Starting a Habit of Generosity

Day 22 – Learning to Be Helped: Accepting Generosity from Others

Day 23 – Embrace Extravagance: Pursuing Uncommon Giving

Day 24 – Simple Generosity: Little Things Matter Too

Day 25 – Capture Your Creativity: Be Generous, Create Jobs

Day 26 – Where and For Who?: Discovering What It Means to Live Generously

Day 27 – No One Is An Island: Generosity as a Tool for Spiritual Wholeness

Day 28 – Writing the Song of Our People: Building a Culture of Generosity

Day 29 – All That We Can Do Together: The Benefits of Corporate Generosity

Day 30 – Giving Voice to Our Work: Generosity as a Tool for Evangelism

Day 31 – Risk Getting Close: Generosity as a Tool for Building Intimate Relationships