Generous: showing a readiness to give more of something, as money or time, than is strictly necessary or expected.
I always thought of generosity as giving a lot of something to a lot of people. A lot of money or volunteer time to a large number of people. However, what if the emphasis isn’t necessarily on the quantity given but the number of recipients?
Let’s say someone starts a podcast or a non-profit organization or moves to a remote area in Southeast Asia. Now let’s say only a handful of people listen to the podcast, only a handful of families are impacted through the non-profit’s work, and only a few kids in Southeast Asia are loved by the efforts of this foreigner.
On paper we might say the impact is low and therefore maybe these aren’t really successful ventures.
Wait. These individuals gave up their time, money, comforts and even possessions to go and help others. But not just that. They gave up a lot to only help a few. It hardly seems worth it, right? Well maybe that’s the point when we know that someone is truly generous. When they give, contribute, and create for only a small handful of others.
Who wouldn’t want their podcast to have millions of listeners, their non-profit to raise billions of dollars, to help an entire continental region?! But almost everyone would want that. So I think it can be said that if someone sacrifices and contributes that much so that even just a small number of people can experience a better life, then that’s a true example of being generous. Maybe even the most generous thing is when the quantity of our giving far exceeds the quantity of those we help.
Go out and be generous to those around you- the fewer the better.
