The Heart I Want: Generosity (3)

You’ve seen this person.  Maybe you’ve known her or him.  Generous is not exactly the word that comes to mind when you think of this person.  It’s not about money.  No, it is about a spirit or an attitude in this person.  This man or woman seems to have a heart that is rooted in greed. 

 

This person may show little interest in your life.  He has a way of turning most dinner conversations back to himself.  He may see life in his town, city, school, or company as the center of the universe.  I once knew a family who moved to several different locations over the course of a few years.  It was interesting how each location became "the" place to live.  Every other place just seemed to be lacking.

 

Greedy people can be very nice and very pleasant.  You just need to know that you will not find very much generosity in these people.

 

• Greedy people are not liberal with praise–especially for those who seem to be "ahead" of them.
• Greedy people keep score.   They look at others around them and become concerned if they "get behind."
• Greedy people do not lavish forgiveness.  Nope–they have a way of remembering in great detail who did them wrong.
• Greedy people are not active in building others up.  Rather, they passively wait for others to build them up.
• Greedy people do not give money with joy.  They often want to know there will be some kind of payback. 
• Greedy people do not exude grace.  Instead, they have a way of critiquing everyone around them.
  

Living as a greedy person is to live in a small world.  This small world has "self" as the center of its existence.  In the end, a greedy person’s heart is small and cold. 

 

A number of years ago, our church had a worship service in which the children of our church were highly visible.  This was a special occasion which we knew the children would enjoy.  At some point during the day, one woman remarked, "Well what about people my age?  Why doesn’t anyone notice us?" 

 

I really understand the concern.  Because I have asked it in one form or another.

 

"What about me?"

 

When we focus on ourselves, our greedy hearts have a way of seeing everything with self at the center.  So, the question keeps coming.  "What about me?"

 

God has called us to have a large heart.  He has called us to have his heart which is rooted in generosity.  I want to know that my interaction with people reflects generosity and not greed.  I want to know that when people come away from being with me, they don’t remember a guy who was caught up in himself and in his little world. 

 

I think this has some real implications for my day, my week, and my life in general.  For those of us who follow Christ, this is a call to ask ourselves, "Am I more about generosity or am I more about greed?"

 

Might be worth thinking about.  Believe I will.