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"I have found that victims see things through a paradigm that is best described as, 'There just isn’t enough to go around.'"
As quoted from the book "Victor - Breaking Free From a Victim-Based Society" by John H. Hovis Page 124.
Don't you know when you get down to that last piece of your favorite pie it is so hard to be generous when it comes to sharing that pie with others. When there just isn't enough to go around, generosity can be such a elusive trait in our lives.
I have come to realize that generosity isn't all that special of a thing when we are generous with what we have plenty of. It is when we choose to be generous with what we see as having too little of that this trait takes on a power that can make big changes happen in our world.
God exhibited generosity in that kind of power filled, world changing ways when it came to the cross. You see, God had only one son. He choose to share the life of that son with anyone who would like to accept that gift in order to have permanent relationship with us all. God was truly generous with something very rare and extremely valuable to Him. Jesus is a symbol of generosity that we all should look to when it comes to being generous with the things we have been blessed with.
Look, I'm not saying that you aren't being generous when you share some of what you have plenty of. Sharing is a corner stone of the characteristic of generosity. What I'm saying is that generosity takes on a completely different power and perspective when we choose to share what we have precious little of. The difference between victor living and victim thinking when it comes to generosity has so much to do with motive for giving in the first place.
There is a story in the Bible that illustrates this concept so well. It is called the Widow and the Mite. Check out the story as we consider the verses from today's Bible reading.
Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents. Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.” Mark 12:41-44 (NIV)
I have read and heard this story many times over the years. I saw something that I never paid any attention to in the past. Jesus purposely sat down in a place where He could watch people placing their money into the temple treasury. It is so interesting to me that He would go to such lengths to help us learn a lesson on generosity.
It was from His vantage point that Jesus could see exactly what was going on. Person after person placed their offerings into where they collected the money. Some made a show of what they placed in the offering. And, for good reason. Jesus said some threw in large amounts. Others probably did their best to make their giving be as anonymous as possible. Then comes a poor widow. She places two copper coins in the offering.
Compared to the amounts others placed into the till, this woman's giving was ludicrous at best. Don't you know that she must have felt embarrassed at the fact she had so little to give compared to the vast sums that were being given that day. Yet, Jesus didn't let the moment go by without highlighting something important about generosity in this story.
You see, true generosity comes with great cost. The widow gave all she had while the rich gave out of their excess. Please don't get in a place of victim thinking believing that Jesus requires that we give all our assets if we really want to be considered generous. That just isn't the case.
What I believe Jesus was teaching here is that generosity is directly tied to motivation. The rich were giving out of making a spectacle of their offering. They were giving out of the fullness of all they had with hopes that their status as someone important would be seen and understood by all in plain view. Their giving was coming from a place of identity. I know I sound like a broken record with this next statement, but anytime we tie our identities to anything in this world, victim thinking is sure to be the result.
The rich person's fault wasn't in giving out of their excess. It was in giving with a motive of bolstering their identity. When we use generosity as a motive for anything, we aren't really being generous at all.
The widow was exhibiting true generosity. She was giving from a place of power. She knew who she was. More importantly, she knew God knew who she was. She was giving to God because she loved Him and knew He loved her. Her identity was secure and no amount of giving would have helped her to better live out her identity as far as she was concerned. That's a victor's way of generosity, not to mention that it was a victor's way of living out life as well.
The widow didn't have enough to go around. Those two coins were all she had to her name. In God's eyes, that gift was more valuable than all the money in the world. It was the woman's motive for giving that caught Jesus' eye and frankly His heart. When love is the motive, generosity is such a powerful force in the world.
I want to live my life giving from a place of love. I have been blessed so my giving might not take me to a place where I give all I have. That doesn't really matter as far as I believe Jesus is concerned. I believe God is more concerned with our heart than the amount we give when generosity is concerned.
Truth is that victors and victim thinkers alike can be very generous from all outward appearances. I hope you are starting to appreciate that God doesn't judge who we are from the outside. He looks inside who we are when it comes to labeling us with terms like generosity and faithfulness. The victor works to do things from a place of confidence in knowing who they are. The victim thinker uses what they do to help make who they are more apparent to themselves and to others around them. God sees the difference and helps us to find a place where we will will appreciate the power of victor living, particularly when it comes to generosity.
From where will your generosity come from today? I hope you won't be in the difficult position of giving all you have but if you do, please let that giving be motivated from the place of love. Let God's love for you be all the motive you need to be extremely generous with all you have been blessed with today.
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