The Spirit of Generosity: Giving is Divine

As we enter the holiday season, the connection between gratitude and generosity becomes especially clear. When we are grateful for what we have, we are naturally more willing to share it. With gratitude, we do not feel limited by scarcity but empowered by abundance. 

Abundance is not the accumulation of material wealth but an overflowing of the heart. It is the grateful awareness that we have more than enough and the realization that even the things we worked hard for were made possible by grace—doors opened, opportunities given, people who helped, and circumstances that aligned. When we understand that all of life is a gift, we can more freely give it away. 

This is the very nature of God. The Divine always gives:
“For God so loved the world that He gave…” (John 3:16)
“It is your Father’s good pleasure to give…” (Luke 12:32)
To give is to participate in the heart of God. 

The contrast between the Dead Sea and the Sea of Galilee illustrates this beautifully. Both are fed by the Jordan River, but the Dead Sea has no outlet—it receives and never releases. As a result, its waters are salty and nearly lifeless. By contrast, the Sea of Galilee both receives and gives; water flows in, and water flows out. Because of this, it is fresh, vibrant, and filled with life. So it is with us. When we receive but do not give, our souls stagnate. When blessings flow through us, we come alive. 

As this season unfolds, enter it with ​AWE​: 

Aware – Notice the countless small and large ways you have been blessed.
Wonder – Reflect on how these blessings came to be. How many unseen synchronicities, kindnesses, and graces have shaped your life?
Engage – “Freely you have received; freely give.” Let generosity flow from the abundance of your heart. 

“We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill.

• Rumi: “Be like the sun, generous in your warmth, asking nothing in return.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Marcus Aurelius: “The only wealth you keep forever is the wealth you have given away.” (Meditations, Book 7) 
• Bhagavad Gita 17:20: “True giving is done without expectation of return, in the right time and place, and to one in need.” 2 Corinthians 9:6: “Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you. 
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. Francis of Assisi: “It is in giving that we receive, and in sharing that we find joy.” (The Prayer of St. Francis, a 20^th Century text) 
• Seneca: “He who gives quickly gives twice. A gift delayed is a gift diminished.” (De Beneficiis (On Benefits), Book 2) 
• Mahatma Gandhi: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” (Attributed to Gandhi) Acts 20:35: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you. 
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• St. Basil the Great: “Creation reflects the overflowing generosity of God, who gives abundantly to all.” (Hexaemeron paraphrased) 
• Hildegard of Bingen: “The earth is at once mother, nourisher, and teacher, overflowing with the generosity of God.” (Scivias) 
• Zend-Avesta, Yasna 34.4: “Generosity is the highest virtue, for it aligns the soul with the Creator’s purpose.”(paraphrased) Psalm 65:9-10: “You care for the land and water it; you enrich it abundantly. The streams of God are filled with water to provide the people with grain.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you. 
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• The Talmud: “When you save one life, it is as if you have saved the whole world.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 37a) 
• Rabindranath Tagore: “I slept and dreamt that life was joy. I awoke and saw that life was service. I acted and behold, service was joy.” (Attributed to Tagore) 
• Kahlil Gibran: “You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” (The Prophet) Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you. 
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Walt Whitman: “The gift is to the giver, and comes back most to him—it cannot fail.” (Leaves of Grass) 
• Rumi: “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. (The Essential Rumi) 
• The Upanishads 3.6.5: “The soul that gives freely finds its true Self, one with the Eternal.” (Interpretive) 2 Corinthians 9:7: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (NIV)

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you. 
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?

• Rumi: “Be like the sun, generous in your warmth, asking nothing in return.” (The Essential Rumi paraphrased) 
• Seneca: “He who gives quickly gives twice. A gift delayed is a gift diminished.” (De Beneficiis (On Benefits), Book 2) 
• St. Basil the Great: “Creation reflects the overflowing generosity of God, who gives abundantly to all.” (Hexaemeron paraphrased) 
• The Talmud: “When you save one life, it is as if you have saved the whole world.” (Talmud Bavli, Sanhedrin 37a) 
• Rumi: “When you do things from your soul, you feel a river moving in you, a joy. (The Essential Rumi) 
• Luke 6:38: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” (NIV) 

AWE 
Aware.  Which quote speaks to you? 
Wonder.  Contemplate what this means to you. 
Enjoy/Engage/Experience.  What is your next step?