Give, Give, Give, Give!

Don't be Duped

I'm the eldest of three children, so growing up in the Ventura household meant that very few things really belonged to us. My parents bought everything and for the sake of not having to buy more than one thing (unless it was Christmas) toys, food, and sometimes clothes were meant to be shared.

Being raised in this way, I never really had a hard time sharing with others, because I hadn't really purchased any of the things I was giving away. Things are just things, anyways, and they can always be replaced.

At my small Christian school, Santa Fe Springs Christian, I was always the studious, reliable, kid who always wrote down every homework assignment and always had homework done by 8 or 9pm. I was also the kid whose friends called to get assignments and homework help...or if the situation was dire...the answers.

Now my classmates weren't slackers, they just had other things to worry about. My only concern in the world , aside from basketball, was ever homework. Seriously. And it wasn't really any problem helping them out...I'd already done the work anyways.

This common practice continued until one evening my father overheard me helping a friend with her homework. And when I got off the phone he gave me a lesson on the value of time. He proceeded to explain to me about people with character, and people with work ethic and responsibility and integrity. He showed me that I was one of those people and I deserved not to be used by those that weren't.


(The fact that he did this after I was off the phone was empowering because it allowed me time to process and think about all that he had shared with me and carry out my own application of what it all meant to me.)


As I grew up, I guarded these traits so well, that I ended up sucking out any life and joy that they really provide and lived in fear of being taken advantage of and worked very hard to avoid it.

And when I did do it, the temporal feeling of fulfillment was overwhelmed with feelings of guilt and frustration because, once again, I'd let myself be taken advantage of...I'd been duped.

I unlearned the very necessary gift of generosity.

"Generosity Encouraged"

More recently though, God's been showing me how He encourages generosity. I mean for crying out loud John 3:16 tells us that he GAVE his only son so that we (people that don't even really know the slightest thing about gratitude) could live in a intimate relationship with him.

And so I give...and the most impactful form of giving in my heart is giving of my time and energy. And it's great! Not only do I have the privilege of spending time with beautiful amazing people, but I get to learn about life with them. And I learn about hurt and disappointment, because sometimes I'd like to receive a little something back from whoever I'm giving to...I mean...I am human. But mainly I learn more and more about grace and love.

God reminded me today in 2 Corinthians 8 that we need to be giving EVERYTHING as we can. Even the things we received in return for our giving. Yep...we need to give that too...that's giving. Paul is careful not to encourage reckless giving, but directs us to "give just as much as we are able" (v. 3). He even advocates egalitarianism when he says "our desire is not that others might be relieved while you are hard pressed, but that there might be equality." (v. 13).

Even more he reminds us that really, there is no such thing as giving too much, because just as God provided for the Israelites when he instructed them to collect mana for 6 days of the week and to rest on the 7th, they were provided for..."He who gathered much did not have too much, and he who gathered little did not have too little." (Ex. 16:18).

So I will continue to learn how to give...generously.
2 Corinthians 8:7-8 says "But just as you excel in everything --in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us --see that you also excel in this grace of giving. I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with with the earnestness of others. "