WEBVTT 00:00:12.199 --> 00:00:16.399 morning everybody is 1 30 a .m and this is food 00:00:16.399 --> 00:00:19.000 for thought thoughts if it were you my name is 00:00:19.000 --> 00:00:22.120 neogentrics and we're back with the moral series 00:00:22.120 --> 00:00:26.160 yesterday i covered kindness and i'm going to 00:00:26.160 --> 00:00:27.739 go ahead and pick up on that moving on to the 00:00:27.739 --> 00:00:31.039 next moral i cover generosity by definition that's 00:00:31.039 --> 00:00:34.200 the quality of being kind and generous in other 00:00:34.200 --> 00:00:36.960 words it's the quality or fact of being plentiful 00:00:36.960 --> 00:00:40.060 or large no not large like in your rear that 00:00:40.060 --> 00:00:43.420 has nothing to do with it or even large in your 00:00:43.420 --> 00:00:46.399 stomach well actually i take that back that's 00:00:46.399 --> 00:00:51.140 being a little too generous um but anyway In 00:00:51.140 --> 00:00:53.140 other words, we all have people in our lives 00:00:53.140 --> 00:00:55.500 that we can identify as generous. And it's not 00:00:55.500 --> 00:00:57.780 simply because they give away significant amounts 00:00:57.780 --> 00:01:01.520 of money, though they may in some people's case. 00:01:02.100 --> 00:01:04.640 But I'm going to use a Bible reference here. 00:01:04.719 --> 00:01:08.579 As Mark 12, 41 through 44 shows us, those who 00:01:08.579 --> 00:01:14.140 give away numerically little may actually be 00:01:14.140 --> 00:01:17.780 those who are the most generous. Okay? In God's 00:01:17.780 --> 00:01:20.890 economy, amount sacrifice always supersedes the 00:01:20.890 --> 00:01:25.030 amount given okay in other words you can get 00:01:25.030 --> 00:01:27.489 five dollars but it doesn't mean that that's 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:30.109 all you actually give just the act of even giving 00:01:30.109 --> 00:01:32.049 in the first place is more than the amount of 00:01:32.049 --> 00:01:33.549 money that you were going to give in the first 00:01:33.549 --> 00:01:36.269 place for the generous person their posture of 00:01:36.269 --> 00:01:39.890 generosity affects all areas of their life not 00:01:39.890 --> 00:01:42.409 just their bank account though that may be a 00:01:42.409 --> 00:01:47.329 factor so What are some ways we can spot such 00:01:47.329 --> 00:01:49.010 a person? This is a question a lot of people 00:01:49.010 --> 00:01:52.450 should ask. And what are some generous identifiers 00:01:52.450 --> 00:01:55.409 we should consider for our own lives? I'm going 00:01:55.409 --> 00:01:57.909 to go ahead and give you six of them. We're going 00:01:57.909 --> 00:01:59.530 to take a short break. I'm going to pull up this 00:01:59.530 --> 00:02:01.530 list that I have written here. And then we're 00:02:01.530 --> 00:02:11.590 going to cover that. So the six identifiers. 00:02:12.009 --> 00:02:15.379 First one being they're satisfied. Okay? Except 00:02:15.379 --> 00:02:17.780 for the amounts that they give away, they always 00:02:17.780 --> 00:02:20.759 want to give more. They want to be more generous 00:02:20.759 --> 00:02:22.860 with what they have, but they are not driven 00:02:22.860 --> 00:02:25.960 by the desire to acquire more possessions. They 00:02:25.960 --> 00:02:28.300 may have a nice house, or they may have a nice 00:02:28.300 --> 00:02:31.340 car, but those things don't drive them. They 00:02:31.340 --> 00:02:33.919 would be just content without them. I'm one of 00:02:33.919 --> 00:02:36.860 those people. It was just how I was raised. On 00:02:36.860 --> 00:02:39.689 that note... I'm not saying anything about other 00:02:39.689 --> 00:02:42.090 people who have these types of things. It just 00:02:42.090 --> 00:02:44.789 depends on your environment. With that being 00:02:44.789 --> 00:02:47.449 said, the second thing is they say yes more than 00:02:47.449 --> 00:02:50.870 they say no. I have to admit, this is a bad habit 00:02:50.870 --> 00:02:53.430 of mine. Generous people have the amazing ability 00:02:53.430 --> 00:02:58.030 to say yes. They, in a way, sense, do they have 00:02:58.030 --> 00:03:01.240 more money than everyone else? No. Do they have 00:03:01.240 --> 00:03:04.319 more time than everyone else? No. Do they have 00:03:04.319 --> 00:03:06.560 more possessions than anybody else? Most definitely 00:03:06.560 --> 00:03:10.300 not. But they may manage money, time, and possessions 00:03:10.300 --> 00:03:12.979 in a way that allows them to say yes more often, 00:03:13.020 --> 00:03:17.819 and they almost always prioritize people over 00:03:17.819 --> 00:03:20.740 each of those areas more so than anything else. 00:03:21.979 --> 00:03:24.900 And I can honestly admit to being one of those 00:03:24.900 --> 00:03:27.800 people. Just because I offer to buy something 00:03:27.800 --> 00:03:30.099 for someone or I offer to help them doesn't mean 00:03:30.099 --> 00:03:32.699 that I have the time or the money. It just means 00:03:32.699 --> 00:03:36.800 that my handling of those is such that I have 00:03:36.800 --> 00:03:40.699 access that I can share with you and I'm doing 00:03:40.699 --> 00:03:43.439 it because I want to, not because I have to. 00:03:44.580 --> 00:03:47.219 On that note, let's move on to the third one 00:03:47.219 --> 00:03:50.659 real quick. They ask, you know, what can I do 00:03:50.659 --> 00:03:52.860 for you? And they actually mean it. And you can 00:03:52.860 --> 00:03:54.900 usually tell this from the tone in the person's 00:03:54.900 --> 00:03:57.949 voice. Generous people do not wait for opportunities 00:03:57.949 --> 00:04:00.210 of generosity to come to them. They seek out 00:04:00.210 --> 00:04:03.009 ways in which they can bless others. They know 00:04:03.009 --> 00:04:05.009 that some of the most needy people will never 00:04:05.009 --> 00:04:07.469 approach another individual for assistance voluntarily, 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.909 unless they're extremely desperate. Therefore, 00:04:11.129 --> 00:04:14.789 the generous person takes the initiative. With 00:04:14.789 --> 00:04:17.329 that being said, number four, they don't talk 00:04:17.329 --> 00:04:21.509 about their possessions. For one, it does sound 00:04:21.509 --> 00:04:24.759 egotistical and a little naive. Because they 00:04:24.759 --> 00:04:27.300 do not see themselves as owners of those possessions. 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:29.800 They know that any possessions that they hold 00:04:29.800 --> 00:04:32.899 is basically our fathers in heaven. And it is 00:04:32.899 --> 00:04:35.180 their challenge to manage it well for God's purpose. 00:04:36.339 --> 00:04:39.220 Their possessions are just tools to be used for 00:04:39.220 --> 00:04:42.100 generosity's sake. They truly believe that God 00:04:42.100 --> 00:04:45.480 didn't design us to be hoarders, but conduits 00:04:45.480 --> 00:04:49.339 through which His generosity flows. As I said 00:04:49.339 --> 00:04:52.060 before, this is not a Bible station, but it doesn't 00:04:52.060 --> 00:04:54.259 mean we won't be covering aspects related to 00:04:54.259 --> 00:04:58.620 such. So, with that being said, number five, 00:04:58.860 --> 00:05:01.779 there's a sense of levity about them. Their lack 00:05:01.779 --> 00:05:04.819 of attachment to possessions develops a lightheartedness 00:05:04.819 --> 00:05:08.019 in them. They're not burdened down by the drive 00:05:08.019 --> 00:05:11.300 to get and keep more stuff, okay? They're not 00:05:11.300 --> 00:05:15.459 connected or even concerned about the keeping 00:05:15.459 --> 00:05:17.639 up with the Joneses or the Joneses' lifestyle, 00:05:17.980 --> 00:05:21.800 okay? They live life open -handed. They experience 00:05:21.800 --> 00:05:26.000 a freedom that most don't even know exists. And 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:30.040 finally, six, they're energetic. Giving energizes 00:05:30.040 --> 00:05:34.920 them. How do I phrase this? God gave them their 00:05:34.920 --> 00:05:37.139 resources for his purpose, okay? And they are 00:05:37.139 --> 00:05:39.839 aligned with it. It is an adventurous place to 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:43.180 be. We were designed for generosity's sake. Okay, 00:05:43.240 --> 00:05:45.459 when individuals align themselves with the design, 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:49.370 it becomes oblivious. They... are easily identified, 00:05:49.529 --> 00:05:51.870 their generosity has infected their entire being. 00:05:52.470 --> 00:05:55.069 Of course, this leaves us with an obvious question. 00:05:55.329 --> 00:05:57.709 What identifies us? And this is something I want 00:05:57.709 --> 00:06:00.269 y 'all to think about. Well, thus is the whole 00:06:00.269 --> 00:06:02.529 point of this station in the first place. It's 00:06:02.529 --> 00:06:07.490 food for thought. Okay? Now, I've covered the 00:06:07.490 --> 00:06:10.269 six pointers, identifiers of a person who's generous. 00:06:11.050 --> 00:06:13.470 In the next piece here, I'm going to take a short 00:06:13.470 --> 00:06:15.430 break, we're going to cover the five qualities 00:06:15.430 --> 00:06:18.060 of a generous person. And that will conclude 00:06:18.060 --> 00:06:21.480 generosity for this podcast. And then we'll be 00:06:21.480 --> 00:06:47.920 moving on to the next moral in the series. We're 00:06:47.920 --> 00:06:51.279 going to go ahead and cover the five qualities 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:54.259 of a generous person. And we'll finish up this 00:06:54.259 --> 00:06:59.680 podcast leading strong. So although there are 00:06:59.680 --> 00:07:01.800 many different types of generous people, there 00:07:01.800 --> 00:07:03.699 are some common traits that the most generous 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:06.660 people share. Whether they give their time or 00:07:06.660 --> 00:07:08.839 their money, these qualities are largely shared 00:07:08.839 --> 00:07:10.980 by the individuals most devoted to giving back 00:07:10.980 --> 00:07:14.110 to their communities and or families. Although 00:07:14.110 --> 00:07:17.250 the Latin root of the word means of noble birth, 00:07:17.490 --> 00:07:20.069 by no means is generosity limited to people in 00:07:20.069 --> 00:07:23.149 positions of power. While it is typically the 00:07:23.149 --> 00:07:25.490 high profile people who are in the news for their 00:07:25.490 --> 00:07:28.889 generosity, anyone can become more generous simply 00:07:28.889 --> 00:07:32.819 by paying attention to his actions. And according 00:07:32.819 --> 00:07:36.220 to Emmanuel Levinas, the French philosopher, 00:07:36.600 --> 00:07:38.600 a generous person will display these qualities 00:07:38.600 --> 00:07:42.319 even if they know the people or group he is helping 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:45.560 is not going to do the same in return. So even 00:07:45.560 --> 00:07:46.800 if you know people are going to automatically 00:07:46.800 --> 00:07:49.980 bite you in the ass, it doesn't mean you still 00:07:49.980 --> 00:07:54.160 don't help them. The first thing is altruism. 00:07:54.420 --> 00:07:57.660 First and foremost, generous people are altruistic. 00:07:58.459 --> 00:08:00.519 They give without hopes of receiving compensation 00:08:00.519 --> 00:08:03.399 for their good deeds. Personal gain may occur, 00:08:03.600 --> 00:08:05.779 but it's not a motivating factor for the most 00:08:05.779 --> 00:08:10.100 generous people. Second is optimism. Generous 00:08:10.100 --> 00:08:12.620 people are idealists. They have a certain image 00:08:12.620 --> 00:08:14.939 of the way the world should be and strive to 00:08:14.939 --> 00:08:17.819 achieve that end. Although the world is not a 00:08:17.819 --> 00:08:20.100 perfect place, these people do not stop giving 00:08:20.100 --> 00:08:24.379 their time, energy, or money. As optimists, They 00:08:24.379 --> 00:08:27.259 see the world in a different light than others. 00:08:27.339 --> 00:08:29.240 They truly believe that the world, although not 00:08:29.240 --> 00:08:32.000 perfect, can be made into such a much better 00:08:32.000 --> 00:08:38.139 place. Trust is a major quality amongst the most 00:08:38.139 --> 00:08:40.879 generous people. They trust completely that their 00:08:40.879 --> 00:08:44.259 cause is a worthy one. They trust that the people 00:08:44.259 --> 00:08:46.240 involved with that cause will do their best to 00:08:46.240 --> 00:08:55.379 help achieve the goal. Trust that the others 00:08:55.379 --> 00:08:58.240 involved with the cause will be using their time 00:08:58.240 --> 00:09:00.919 and resources appropriately, or at least so we 00:09:00.919 --> 00:09:05.919 hope. Next would be energy. When you think of 00:09:05.919 --> 00:09:08.080 a person being generous, energy is one of the 00:09:08.080 --> 00:09:10.500 first things that comes to mind. These individuals 00:09:10.500 --> 00:09:12.860 devote their energy to the good that they want 00:09:12.860 --> 00:09:15.639 to do. They also gain energy from their cause. 00:09:16.539 --> 00:09:18.539 figuratively speaking. When the most generous 00:09:18.539 --> 00:09:20.740 person spends their time working on a goal, they 00:09:20.740 --> 00:09:23.460 are revitalized and energized to do even more. 00:09:23.639 --> 00:09:27.059 It's kind of like a monkey see monkey do kind 00:09:27.059 --> 00:09:30.779 of mentality, but in a good way. Last but not 00:09:30.779 --> 00:09:33.360 least they have the ability to lead this quality 00:09:33.360 --> 00:09:35.700 may seem like an odd one at first But the most 00:09:35.700 --> 00:09:38.059 generous people are not afraid to stand up and 00:09:38.059 --> 00:09:40.600 leave for their cause Although not everyone can 00:09:40.600 --> 00:09:43.120 actually lead their group or cause this does 00:09:43.120 --> 00:09:45.620 not discount these individuals leadership capabilities 00:09:45.620 --> 00:09:50.139 Getting involved is in itself a form of leadership 00:09:50.139 --> 00:09:54.110 Okay The most generous people share these qualities 00:09:54.110 --> 00:09:57.289 to differing degrees. If you're concerned with 00:09:57.289 --> 00:09:59.250 increasing your own level of generosity, these 00:09:59.250 --> 00:10:02.850 factors will get you started in the right direction. 00:10:03.190 --> 00:10:07.169 And with that, I end my podcast today on generosity. 00:10:07.169 --> 00:10:10.049 It's not a very long topic to cover, and most 00:10:10.049 --> 00:10:12.210 of it is pretty self -explanatory and understood, 00:10:12.490 --> 00:10:16.309 if not mostly common sense. But for those who 00:10:16.309 --> 00:10:18.830 have no idea how to get started or are not sure 00:10:18.830 --> 00:10:20.809 if they even have it, this is a great way to 00:10:20.809 --> 00:10:25.710 get going. This completes generosity for my Food 00:10:25.710 --> 00:10:27.629 for Thought podcast, Thoughts If It Were You. 00:10:28.389 --> 00:10:31.830 We'll be moving on to the next moral in our next 00:10:31.830 --> 00:10:35.450 episode, and it'll be one of the two. I haven't 00:10:35.450 --> 00:10:38.129 quite decided yet. It'll either be fairness or 00:10:38.129 --> 00:10:41.269 courage. We'll see when the next episode comes. 00:10:41.470 --> 00:10:44.809 Thank you for listening. And like I said before, 00:10:44.929 --> 00:10:47.870 if you have any ideas, thoughts, or concerns, 00:10:48.009 --> 00:10:51.250 feel free to send me a message and we'll take 00:10:51.250 --> 00:10:53.370 it from there. Enjoy the rest of your day. God 00:10:53.370 --> 00:10:53.649 bless.