Generosity Challenge

Generosity is often associated with financial giving, but there are many other ways to engage with this faith practice! Here are some ideas for a week-long Generosity Challenge. Feel free to adapt them as you wish, perhaps changing the order around to fit your schedule better.

Each day, choose one or more of the bulleted suggestions to engage with a different aspect of generosity. Don’t have time to do this every day this week? Try doing one of these challenges once a week or once a month.

At the end of the week, talk about your experiences with a trusted friend or family member. If you’re in a small group, consider inviting your whole group to take this challenge together and then talk about it at a group meeting.

Sunday: Engaging Scripture

• Spend some time today digging into what God’s Word says about generosity. Here are four passages you might find helpful. Which one speaks to you? Why?
• Choose one of the passages listed in the link above and practice lectio divina—an ancient Christian way to meditate on Scripture and listen for God.
• After you do one of the above options, talk with God honestly in prayer about the practice of generosity in your life. Identify areas where it’s easy for you to be generous, and areas where it’s difficult to be generous—and bring them to God. Listen for the Spirit’s promptings toward generosity as you go through your day and week.

Monday: Generosity of Thought

Focus on practicing generosity of thought today. For many of us, this might be the most challenging way to engage generosity. Thoughts pop into our heads “automatically” and often unbidden. But over time it is possible to intentionally reframe uncharitable thoughts to bring them more in line with the spirit of Jesus. Here are some things to consider:

• Intentionally look for the image of God in people, whether they’re friend, family, foe, acquaintance, or stranger.
• When you make an assumption about someone’s motives, question that assumption. (For example, if you think, “She’s doing that because she doesn’t like me,” ask yourself, “Do I really know why she’s doing that?” “Do I know that she doesn’t like me?” “What other reasons might she have for doing that?”)
• When a critical thought enters your mind, reframe it as an inquiry (so “He’s being so selfish” becomes “I wonder what’s causing him to act like that? I wonder how I could help?”).

Tuesday: Gifts, Talents, and Skills

Today, find a way to share your gifts, talents, or skills with someone else—perhaps a family member, friend, church member, or colleague. Also spend time doing a bit of self-inventory:

• What spiritual gifts has God given you? If you’ve never taken a spiritual gifts inventory, you can find one here.
• What innate talents do you have? (Drawing, singing, listening, etc.)
• What important skills have you learned through education, practice, and experience?
• In light of your self-inventory, how might you share yourself and your unique gifts generously with others?

Wednesday: Mentoring

Your experience is a valuable thing to share generously. Think about people who served as your mentors in the past, whether formally or informally, and the way their generosity blessed you. How might you share your experience with someone else in a mentoring relationship? Some ideas:

• a young mom or dad
• a younger colleague or ministry leader in your field
• a teen or young adult in your congregation
• an at-risk child, through a nonprofit program designed for this, such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• a refugee family learning how to navigate North American culture and systems

Thursday: Money

Spend some time today focusing on your financial giving. (If you’re married, doing this with your spouse is a great idea.)

Take a look at your giving over the past year. Total up (or estimate) all your charitable donations, including offerings given to your church. Then calculate what percentage of your gross income your giving makes up. Are you surprised by the number? Why or why not?

• If you have kids, choose an idea from our page on Practicing Generosity as a Family  to do together as a family.
• If impulse buying is something you struggle with, read 7 Psychological Triggers That Cause Spending from MoneyCrashers.com. Do you recognize yourself in any of these descriptions? Talk this over with someone you trust, and bring your triggers to God in prayer.

Friday: Time

Between meetings to go to, other appointments to keep, kids to run here and there, and entertainment, we don’t always remember that even our time is a gift from God. Share your time generously with someone today. Here are a few ideas:

• If you’re a parent, grandparent, or aunt/uncle, spend time with one or more of the kids in your family. Let them plan an outing or a day with you. Say “yes” to any reasonable idea!
• Call a friend who’s going through a hard time, and offer to bring a meal or get coffee together.
• Volunteer for an organization or ministry that’s been on your mind and heart.
• Offer to babysit for a friend or family member so that they can have some time on their own.

Saturday: Possessions

• Make a list of things you own that you could share with others (tools, books, sports equipment, craft supplies, etc). Then find a way of offering those things to your friends and/or your broader community.
• Go through closets and storage spaces today (and regularly), and donate things that you no longer need or use that are in good condition.
• Play the 30-day Minimalism Game with a friend or family member.