On Giving, Not Enough
May 4th, 2008
A friend told me recently that I need to be more giving, which, to be honest, wounded my pride a little.
Because, really, I like to think I’m a pretty giving person. I track what I give and where I give it, so I know how much money is going to someone not-myself.
So I told Friend this. “I live according to a budget, you know that,” I said. “And I do give generously.”
As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I realized I’d become the kind of person I hate: the person who gives to tell people she gives.
Giving to feel good about myself (i.e., giving to get) = yuck.
Filed under budgeting, gifting |
4 Responses to “On Giving, Not Enough”
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Giving is about relationship with Christ first, and relationship with one another second. I wrote a post about that a few months ago and I don’t think it irritated enough people because I only got one link back :). That being said, I don’t think that your defending yourself means that you’ve given to get credit for it.
Oooh! Spiffy new site! Wow! I like it!
It’s no one else’s business how you give.
P.S. Cotton candy maker: coolest.job.ever.
Thanks for the encouragement on my blog, just letting you know I love the new site!
Thanks for the encouragement, both about the blog and about giving, you guys.
An old boyfriend of mine, when explaining why he wanted to keep working where he was and not nearer to me, explained in detail how much he gave out of his current salary: “I more than tithe (over 10%),” he told me.
I remember thinking that was such a weird thing to say, even beyond the whole you-couldn’t-get-another-job-and-keep-giving? thing. Because it felt like he was bragging about it.
And I guess that’s whole I feel, even if I wasn’t trying to brag. I think talking about giving is a really hard thing to do without sounding obnoxious.