Talking from experience, especially from my own personal experience, giving is one act I strongly believe in—one that technically beats economic law. It is not even spiritual in nature; it is simply a natural law. Although religion tends to attach a spiritual meaning to it, I believe it is a universal principle, and everything on earth obeys it.
Givers Never Lack:
From an economic perspective, it is believed that for you to have and keep money, you must save what you have and avoid giving it out carelessly, as well as investing without guaranteed returns. However, genuine giving has proven to work against this belief. When you give, you are bound to receive more. The mysterious thing about this law is that you do not receive the exact amount you gave out; instead, you receive more. Also, the channel through which the return will come is usually unknown. Rather than coming through expected means, it often arrives in unexpected ways.
Giving is not only tied to church activities such as offerings and tithes. Personally, I do more of my giving outside the church. This includes giving to my parents, family members, friends, neighbours, children, and even going as far as giving randomly to people whenever I feel the urge—when I have the means and when I see that someone is genuinely in need.
Although I am aware of the blessings that come from giving, I do not give with the expectation of those blessings. I give happily, especially when I know that I am solving someone’s problem. I do not tie my act of helping others to immediate expectations of rewards or blessings because doing so might lead to disappointment if the returns do not come on time or at the moment I need them. I simply give, trusting that one day, my acts of giving will pay off.
That being said, I also apply wisdom in my giving. The fact that I give a lot does not mean that I give to everyone who comes my way or to anyone who begs. No. These days, scammers and professional beggars are everywhere. When we give to such people and later discover that we have been scammed, regret is bound to settle in. This regret directly removes the joy of giving, and once that happens, it is no longer a cheerful act of generosity.
I encounter beggars and scammers quite often. Whenever I come across people whom my instincts do not permit me to give to, I simply do not give. That does not mean I will not be blessed for my previous acts of giving. No, it does not.
Thanks for reading.