The Tradition of Generosity
Traditions in most families are rather fickle. Some are joyously anticipated. Some are met with tears of sweet memories. Others are met with eye-rolls and soft mutterings of “not again!” The Christmas wreath on the door that is incredibly special to Grandma likely has little or no meaning to her teenage grandchild. Cousin Bob couldn’t care less whose pecan pie recipe is used as long as there is pecan pie! Some are energized and enriched by traditions while others feel totally indifferent or uncomfortably bound by them. However, like it or not, traditions do bind us to something and help define who we are.
One tradition that should appeal to all generations and not be met with apathy is the tradition of generosity. That one has its roots, not in someone’s special experience or cherished memory, but in our God, in Jesus. The whole Christmas/Christian message is that God sent his son Jesus into our world to reconcile us to himself. Aside from this eternal, unmatchable gift, the New Testament is filled with examples of generosity and exhortations to maintain a giving heart.
In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus by reminding us that, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Although it is not possible to quantifiably determine just how the giver is blessed, a recent study of family giving traditions by Fidelity Charitable through Artemis Strategy Group (1) offered some interesting observations. The study found that people who grew up in families with strong giving traditions are more likely to:
consider themselves to be very happy
describe their core family as very close
describe their extended family as very close
spend more time volunteering
continue giving generously as adults
say their parent(s) inspired them the most in their charitable giving
The study then offered some tips on creating a tradition of generosity for a young family:
Engage in charitable/volunteer activities together
Engage in some type of charitable activity to honor a family member
Provide kids with a giving allowance
Talk about the importance giving with your family
Talk about finances in general
Include kids in decisions as to who you make donations of time and money
I’ve been at Broadway a long time, and my job of handling contributions has given me the opportunity to witness generations of generous families. One person I want to mention gives a yearly gift to our funeral food ministry because his parents, now many years deceased, faithfully served in that ministry.
Now is the perfect time to intentionally consider the impact of the tradition of giving generously on your family today as well as future generations. Not only do opportunities to give abound in December, but the coming New Year invites us to turn those opportunities into resolutions or commitments as we go forward as a people incredibly blessed by God.
FidelityCharitable.org, Family Giving Traditions