Giving with a Happy Heart

Generosity. It’s not something that comes naturally to most of us. In fact, straight out of the womb, we humans are pretty selfish, crying and throwing fits to get what we want, when we want it. Thanks to Adam and Eve, voluntarily giving away something of our own isn’t on our radar until God changes our hearts. Think about it: generosity is something we have to explicitly teach our kids because they don’t do it on their own. We start with the concept of sharing - “Be a good share bear!” and “Sharing is caring!” and “let go of that toy! It won’t kill you to share it with your brother for 2 minutes!”

My mom reports that, I, in all my toddler splendor, wasn’t such a great share bear. She says I was often known to say “I don’t much care to share.” And the truth is, I still don’t sometimes. And generosity? It’s a level up from sharing. Usually, sharing is giving up something of yours temporarily with the expectation of getting it back (eventually). Generosity, on the other hand, is sacrificing something of yours permanently, with no expectation of getting it back. See? Generosity is easy to talk about and put on a pedestal, but in reality, it’s tough. 

We talked about the concept of generosity in Sunday School this past week. We’re reading through the Old Testament, looking for hints of God’s character woven underneath all the rules and laws of the Torah. One essential element of God’s character we discovered in Deuteronomy 15 is… you guessed it!... generosity. In this section, God, through Moses, commands the Israelites to follow some surprising financial practices, one of which is the forgiving of debts. 

1 At the end of every seven years you must cancel debts. 2 This is how it is to be done: Every creditor shall cancel any loan they have made to a fellow Israelite. They shall not require payment from anyone among their own people, because the Lord’s time for canceling debts has been proclaimed. (Dt 15:1-2)

Wow. Did you get that? Every seven years, they were to forgive and forget all debts. And if you’re like me, you’re thinking well, if that’s the case, then I wouldn’t loan anything to anyone. It’s just not a wise financial decision, especially if you’re not guaranteed to recoup your loan. 

It’s funny you should think that, because God follows up with these instructions: 

7 If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. 8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need. 9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: “The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near,” so that you do not show ill will toward the needy among your fellow Israelites and give them nothing. (Dt 15:7-9)

God knew the hearts and minds of the Israelites, and He knows our hearts and minds, too. I think this Old Testament passage is a great reminder that God’s economy is waaaaaaayy different from the world’s economy. 

The world says more is better, so work, save, and spend!

God says you can’t take it with you, so invest in the eternal.

The world says you worked for it. Spend it on whatever you want.

God says it’s all His. You’re simply the steward of His stuff. 

The world says save, protect (even hoard!) your stuff.

God says be openhanded and give generously.

The world says having the most and best will make you happy. 

God says serving and giving will bring you joy. 

On that last one - serving and giving will make you happy - sometimes that’s a hard pill to swallow. I mean, will selflessly serving others really make me joyful? Will generous giving really make me happy? 

Again, God anticipates this response. Let’s go back to verse 8:

8 Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need.

In Hebrew, this verse repeats the word for openhanded and the word for lend. So it reads something like: 

Rather be OPENHANDED openhanded, and LEND lend them whatever they need. 

Kinda awkward, but the repetition of words is meant to emphasize something. It’s like using the word EXTRA or VERY. It takes an action and levels it up in intensity. So God is telling His people to be EXTRA openhanded and lend with extravagance and enthusiasm. Understanding this deepens the meaning of the verse! The Israelites aren’t just to go through the motions of giving; they are also to posture their hearts for generosity. As my mom would say, they should give with “happy hearts.” 

Ok, wait. So now we’re back to linking giving with happiness or joy. What is God saying here?

 Is He saying that when we give we should be happy?
Or that giving will make us happy?
Or that happy people give? 

Yes. All of that. Let’s keeping reading:

10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; (Dt 15:10a)

God clearly commands them to give with a happy heart. But wait… there’s more here to uncover. The phrase “with a grudging heart” (NIV) or “so that your heart will not be grieved” (ESV) literally means “so your heart won’t be evil.” So, yes, they are commanded to give with happy hearts. But they are also commanded to give SO THAT their hearts are happy (or righteous and whole - not evil). 

You might need to read that again:

They are commanded to give with happy hearts.
And they are also commanded to give SO THAT their hearts are happy. 

You see, giving protects our hearts, keeping us righteous and whole. Generosity keeps us from harboring the sins of pride or selfishness. It helps us maintain proper perspective, reminding us that everything we have is God’s, not ours. Giving helps us focus on building God’s kingdom, not our own. 

So it is important to give generously with a happy heart (because after all, God does love a cheerful giver). But it’s equally important to give generously so that our heart stays happy. 

And it’s like a cycle - give so your heart will be happy - and your heart is happy so you give. (Wash, rinse, repeat.)

Now, this doesn’t mean giving won’t or can’t still be painful. Generosity is still tough sometimes. But that final part of verse 10 should provide the motivation we need: 

10 Give generously to them and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the Lord your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.

If there’s one thing the Torah explicitly teaches, it’s this:

Living in relationship with God brings BLESSING.

Living our own way brings CURSES.

Over and over again, the Old Testament shows that God created and saved us to be in relationship with Him. And when we are, we follow His commands. And when we do, we gradually look more and more like Jesus. And living and loving like Jesus enables us to take His message to the world around us.

That’s God’s master plan. And when we live in harmony with this plan, when we’re obedient to God’s commands and faithful to our relationship with Him, we will reap BLESSING.

So even though generosity isn’t always cupcakes and rainbows, generosity will bring blessing. And that makes my heart happy. Maybe even happy enough to share.