The Privilege of Giving

Title: The Privilege of Giving

Body:

“It is more blessed to give than to receive.” — Jesus, Acts 20:35

While watching CNN tonight, I saw a compelling story about a family in Phoenix, Arizona that was begging on the side of the street for money. The father had recently lost his truck driving job and has currently had to resort to panhandling in order to feed his family. Now although I strongly believe that people are in charge of their own fate to a certain degree, I cannot help but to have a few heartstrings pulled when I see a grown man cry due to being unable to feed his family by his own devices. With as much emphasis put on a man as being a "provider" in our society, I cannot help but guess that this man has to be feeling that he is failing in his responsibility.

One sad realization about this is that this and many other stories will continue to happen due to the current economic situations. A co-worker once told me that layoffs always seem to occur when money is needed the most and with it being the holiday season, it would seem like the absolute worst time to lose your job. Many Americans unfortunately face this uncertainty as they are working in industries that are cutting back majorly due to the slowdown of the economy. Although it is hard to provide a solution that will encompass the multiple problems individuals face, there still are some things we can do to help.

One of the main principles I abide by in my personal finances is giving back. Whether through money, volunteering time, or donating my unused goods, I feel that one important aspect to help remain humble in personal finances is through giving. Below are some of the guidelines I follow when giving:

1. Take care of home first then branch out.
• Always make sure that you take care of yourself and immediate family before reaching out to others. It is hard to build someone else a house while your house is currently falling itself.
  
• Sometimes people decide against giving if they feel that there is no one they know who is in need, but you may be surprised to find out that people close to you may be in need but too proud to ask for assistance.
2. Have the right motive for giving.
• Giving is a privilege, not an obligation.
• The attitude you take towards giving will definitely reflect and affect those around you. If you give with good intentions, you may inspire someone close to you to do the same.
  
3. Give what you can afford.
• Giving must be done in moderation. There is no reason you should go into poverty or slacking on your responsibilities due to your giving.

I sat down and spoke with my great aunt today and she explained to me that during her younger years, she would go to school during the day time and work in the cotton fields immediately after she got home. She told me that all the food that they had was grown in a garden and many of the luxuries that we value today were not in existence or were too expensive to afford. She explained to me how she lived through the Great Depression and World War 2 and how they were able to get by with what they had. Unfortunately, we do not realize today how much of an abundance we have.

As mentioned by the quote at the beginning of this article, if you have the privilege to give, you are blessed. Often times we analyze our situation as being poor due to not having all the material things that we want. However, after talking to my great aunt, I find that we are much better off than our ancestors were. Some of the ways you can choose to give are listen below:

Feeding America
http://feedingamerica.org/take-action.aspx

Big Brothers Big Sisters
http://www.bbbs.org/site/c.diJKKYPLJvH/b.1539751/k.BDB6/Home.htm

VolunteerMatch
http://www.volunteermatch.org/

What other ways do you feel are positive ways to give back to society? Are you planning on giving back during the holiday season?

Stay Disciplined!