It was a Christmas message that was given by my pastor a few years ago. I sat in church that Sunday and listened with little faith on this one. He was talking about how, as Christians, our lifestyle is very non-giving. This week we are talking about the keys to changing our minds and today’s topic is our willingness to give.
A few years ago I was reading one of the books by Joel Osteen. He often writes of people who live a life where they feel they are giving and giving and yet they receive nothing. Many people that I talk to tell me they are giving people, yet I can tell they are not. Each time we talk they are taking back all that they have given.
There is a verse in the Bible that teaches about giving alms to the poor. It says “let not the right hand know what the left hand is doing.” Let me share how I feel that we need to give to make this happen. Today I was reminded of a quote that was part of the daily email quotes that the Brian Tracy organization sends out. At the time, I was feeling that many things in my life were just not working. The quote I got that day was one from a great inventor.
“Many of life’s failures are experienced by people who did not realize
how close they were to success when they gave up.”
–Thomas Edison
You see, to change your life, to change your mind, you have to be willing to become a giving person. This means changing the way we see things. Are you willing to be a giving person to the point that you are not looking for a return? You hear of all kinds of wealthy people who give millions of their fortunes to charity, or some cause they believe in.
Think of the quote above and the man who made it. Thomas Edison was a man who used the money he made from one invention to continue creating other inventions. He felt that was his purpose. He also worked many 18-hour days. Most of us are looking for a break after working four hours. So when I ask you if are you willing to become a giving person, really think about that.
Let us take our lives and become giving. As my pastor said in his message, it was Christmas time and he talked of how people will give a little more. The message was that we needed to give all year round not just at Christmas. Be giving to the point that you are not looking for a reward. Do things like next time you go out to eat, leave a $20 or $50 tip for your server. Get up and leave the table and not let him or her thank you. Go into a coffee shop tomorrow morning and pay for the person’s coffee behind you.
The key to doing these things is not that you are not looking for a pat on the back or payback later. You are not looking for recognition. You just become a giving person. Now don’t get carried away with it. Many people give everything to people who just take advantage of givers. Learn to make a life of wise giving. Giving the drug addict more drugs is not helping them. Giving them food is. We need to be helping people with our giving.
So how will this help you? When you become a giving person, expecting nothing in return, your reward will come. If you go and tell people that you are giving, you’ll get recognition and that will be your reward. Another verse in the bible tells how when you give it will be given back to you, in an over-flowing cup. You must also never complain that you are not being rewarded. As I stated above many people that I talk to tell me of how they are giving and life is not giving them what they want. Well they are taking away all the rewards by saying that.
So what are you going to change to make yourself a giving person? How are you going to change what you say to stop taking away the rewards of what you have given? If it has been a long time since you have received, or you feel that your one desire in life is not met yet, have you been taking away the work you have done with the very words you have said? Remember failure comes to many who did not realize how close they were before they quit.
I’m Tim Gillette, the Rocker Life Coach. Do you want to live the life you always dreamed about? Do you love what you do? Do you want to become the RockStar in your world?
