“’Whoever has two tunics is to share with him who has none, and whoever has food is to do likewise.’” (Luke 3:11)

Moms like to muse. Especially as we’re getting older and missing those younger days when our children were still little. Yes, young moms, you will someday miss those days, so enjoy them while you have them!

In my musings, I was reminiscing on our years living overseas, in a lesser-developed-country. The first three years, we just had one son, as our second hadn’t been born yet. Thankfully his only two criteria for making friends with someone are that they be living and breathing. So, despite the fact that he looked much different from those around him, he had many friends.

Friendly, fun, and good at sports helped a lot. As did his willingness to share. Who wouldn’t want to be around someone who likes to share, especially when they have more than we do! It wasn’t that we were wealthy. In fact, we were “under-resourced” (euphemism for “not enough money or stuff”), by our own country’s standards. But in the eyes of local folks in our host country, we were “rich, high-status, foreigners”.

Subject for another time—how comparison makes people feel and look either better or worse, depending on how they compare.

One day we received a care package in the mail, which contained shiny, plastic, brand-new, preschooler-sized, roller-skates. They had come all the way from America, which was special enough. But roller-skates? Wow! If our son had ever seen such, he’d likely forgotten, and certainly no one where we lived had seen anything like them. This was the early ‘90s, pre-internet days.

For further context—we didn’t have a phone, TV, or computer either. Neither did anyone else in our neighborhood. We had each other—to relate to, have fun with, learn from, get news from, etc. Our neighborhood, like others in this city, resembled a rabbit-warren—small houses connected to each other every-which-way, with a few courtyards here and there, and narrow lanes that could only handle one motorcycle or pedestrian at a time (unless you wanted to crash, get run over, or run/drive into someone’s house). Living in a streetside house meant you were very wealthy and/or had a government position.

But for the rest of us, it meant kids could play safely on the “street”! Motorcyclists knew how to dodge them. It also meant our son could skate anywhere he wanted to with his new pair of skates. He would’ve been the envy of every other kid in the neighborhood, big or small.

But he chose not to be. He chose something better. He chose to share. In that four-year-old mind and heart of his, he figured out that it would be more fun to offer one skate to another kid–then both of them ride down hills together, belly on the skate, arms and legs up in the air! After that, he gave his own skate to a third kid, and they did it. Then, following his example, those kids let other kids have a turn, until everyone had a try (provided they weren’t too big to fit on the skate).

If you think watching the Winter Olympics is fun, try being a mom watching happy children squealing as they slalom down a hill with nothing bad to crash into!

Fast forward more than a few years, to a now-grown man and his musing mama, reflecting on a life-long takeaway from this—generosity never loses, only gains. Here’s how:

• What we give or share, though valuable, can’t compare to the enduring value of a true friend we’ve shared with. (Prov. 17:17, 18:24)
• While kindness may build what people today call “social capital”, truly kind people don’t expect anything in return, ever. (Lk. 14:12)
• Like attracts like—high-quality, great-character people attract other high-quality, great-character people who want to be with them. Our sons and daughters-in-law married each other for that reason.
• Generosity begets generosity in return, due to the reciprocal effect in human nature. (Lk. 11:24-25)
• What we keep to ourselves can only be used alone. Our enjoyment of that equals one times one. Our enjoyment of what we share with others multiplies exponentially by each person we share it with. (Eccles. 4:9-10)
• Whatever we lose in time or possessions, we’ll more than make up for in happiness. It feels so good. Many studies have shown that generous, unselfish, people are so much happier and more content than hoarding, selfish, people are.
• Whatever we give up can’t compare to the influence we gain. In our son’s case, local kids, including bigger ones, were following directions from a foreigner. They also followed his example of sharing and discovered their own joy from it.
• While gaining entry and inclusion into a group shouldn’t be our ulterior motive for generosity, it does produce that effect. Our son, an outsider, who talked and looked different from neighborhood kids, gained insider-status— that lasted long after the sharing of skates.
• We can either give our time, talent, and treasures, or have others covet them. If they covet them, they’ll resent us and/or do what they can to take them from us (and sometimes succeed). The more we build others up, the less they’ll want or try to tear us down!
• The gift goes on. Generosity is highly contagious. We pass it down from generation to generation and to others we influence, making the world a better place and building the kingdom of heaven. For example, I see it in our grandsons.
• Generous people can be trusted with more, and so receive it. Both the Lord and other people know they’ll do the right and best thing with what we give them, whether possessions or authority (2 Cor. 9:6-8, Lk. 19:17, Mat. 25:21, 23). Note from these verses that it’s not about how much we have, but about what we do with it.
• The eternal reward on investment is “out of this world” (Mat. 6:19-21)

Leaders/aspiring leaders—how does this apply to you? For you, generosity means:

• Shared wins are multiplied wins, enjoyed that much more by all.
• You will attract higher-quality partners and team members.
• You will be happier, less stressed, more peaceful, and thus healthier in every way.
• Your influence will be multiplied and magnified.
• People will include you—socially, in their discussions, in their leadership groups.
• People won’t be trying to bring you down or steal your position because they resent you or see you as a threat. Even if they do, others won’t let them.
• You’ll leave a legacy of generosity that will carry on as the culture of your organization/team.
• You’ll receive and be trusted with more—greater influence, higher-position, success, etc.

And to think, all this joy and benefit starts with not being a “cheap-skate”—but sharing them instead.