Happiness is Giving                                                                    ,

Every day I receive at least five to six requests for money.  Each letter is an appeal to improve a situation, provide medical supplies, feed a family, help kids in hospitals.  Each one is worthy.  They all have good credit scores with Charity Navigator. Now what to do?

Therefore, I must decide.  Each one of us must make similar choices.  Most of us have been blessed with money and we are entrusted to use it wisely. 

The Bible has words of wisdom on use of our money.  2 Timothy 3:  “People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money.” 1Tim.6:16 ‘For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.”   There are many verses which allude to the same type of desire……….the quest for riches. 

We have all sat in our Sunday pews and heard stories about the love of money. The rich man coming to Jeshua to become a disciple but refusing to give up his way of life; the man building bigger barns to hold all his goods and yet not living to enjoy it.   It’s not about the money itself, but the deep need we all feel that money will provide what we are missing in life. 

We are thankful for the wealthy who have donated millions to provide funds for symphonies; great museums; hospitals; donations for many philanthropic causes, all of which enriches our lives.  

There is nothing wrong with a nice cruise to the Greek Islands, seeing the sites of Paris at night or perhaps a vacation in Colorado.   Money can give us pleasure. God provides wonderful experiences for us to enjoy.  But in the long term, we are left with an empty purse and pictures on our phones.

But here is the really sweet secret of giving.  When one gives, one also receives in return! 

In one study, researchers discovered that those who spent more on charity and others rather than themselves enjoyed significantly greater and longer lasting happiness. (Dunn, Aknin,  Norton: Science Mag. March 2008)

Other findings include lower depression rates and less self-focus.  Perhaps we are missing something when we have not let our children realize that giving is a necessary part of being a real person.  The one that God created us to be. 

Giving money isn’t the only way to enjoy the benefits of generosity: People who are very giving in relationships, being emotionally available and hospitable, are much more likely to be in excellent health.

  According to research, the positive energy that you feel when you do a good deed has a tangible impact on your body.  In much the same way that exercise releases endorphins into your brain that makes you feel good, acts of charity generate what scientists call the “helpers’ high!”

The benefits of a generous heart not only provide you with rewards but also provide comfort to others.  Help might be needed in finding work, in prayer, in relationships.  This is all part of giving. 

A famous rabbi once said: “We are only worth with we are willing to share.” When we give of ourselves to others, we are not diminished but enriched.”

In the words of Winston Churchill “We may make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.”

                                                Agree?