Generosity

Menanteau Serfontein – 16 February 2021

Roy T. Bennett says “Help others without any reason and give without the expectation of receiving anything in return.”

Generosity implies reaching out to others with kindness and being generous towards them. This can be done in numerous ways such as freely giving of your time, caring, empathy, compassion, encouragement, hospitality, prayer, providing hope and contributing towards material needs. A generous person is someone who does not merely live for himself, but cares about and for others as well, without expecting anything in return.

Joshua Becker says “Generosity makes our world a better place. It improves the life of the receiver. And it improves the life of the giver. Yet, despite the benefits, generosity is still too rare in our world today. Instead, our society craves and pursues more at every turn. We seek enjoyment by directing most of our resources towards our own pursuits: security, possessions, experiences, enjoyment, and luxury. Meanwhile, significant opportunities for generosity surround us every day at every turn. In order to un-conform our thinking in a consumer-driven world and begin taking greater advantage of the abundant benefits of generosity, we need to shift our worldview.” 

Below are a few more quotes about generosity that are worth remembering:

• “Generosity is the habit of giving freely without expecting anything in return.”  – Anonymous
• “Give what you have. To someone, it may be better than you dare to think.”  – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
• “Sometimes it takes only one act of kindness and caring to change a person’s life.” – Jackie Chan
• “Do things for people not because of who they are or what they do in return, but because of who you are.” – S. Kushner
• “The value of a man resides in what he gives and not in what he is capable of receiving.” – Albert Einstein
• “The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously.” – 2 Corinthians 9:6
• “Generosity isn’t an act. It’s a way of life.” – Chip Ingram

I would like to end with a quote by Og Mandini as a challenge to all of us: “Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.” 

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