Overload!

Most have probably experienced ‘information overload’… But have you ever experienced ‘generosity overload’?

I don’t know about you, but I get bombarded by people or organisations asking for my money…asking me to donate, to give, to partner… to be generous! Whether it be a charity organisation just running their usual donation call or it’s in response to the latest natural disaster (and how many of these have there been lately!), there is always a good reason for someone to be asking for your generosity.

Since I started this blog I’ve been even more exposed to the world of charities and have been overwhelmed by the sheer number of charities and programs out there! I read recently that there are around 10,400 registered charities in Australia, how accurate that is I’m not 100% sure, but the fact is that there are literally thousands of organisations, big and small, all doing some sort of ‘charity’ work… so no wonder there is a constant barrage of requests for generosity!

Reality is though that an individual can’t actually give to everything, or support everyone that asks, or partner with every organisation… so you are left wondering – which charity do I support? or what ’cause’ should I give my money too? Where do I draw the line? Or if you have decided to partner and give regularly to something, then there’s a bunch of natural disasters like recently with floods, earthquakes and tsunamis, and the call goes out for more support… your heart goes out to those affected, but you’re not sure your wallet can back that up…

Can we just keep giving? Does generosity dry up? I don’t know the answers necessarily, except to say that I believe that your heart and your conscience will lead you. Sometimes your heart will go out in compassion, but your wallet can’t (for whatever reason), and I think that’s totally fine – unless you feel somewhat guilty or greedy for not giving. If I don’t give to something, I generally feel ok about it because I’m satisfied that my giving in other areas is already ‘hurting’ enough that I don’t feel guilty for not giving to another thing… If I wasn’t giving to something else at the time, then I’d say I would probably feel the opposite!

Other times, I think that your heart will give you a conviction to act – and often the most practical way to act is to give money. I find giving money quite freeing… before you give I can feel a bit anxious or hesitant, but when it’s gone, it feels great. I believe that you should give to the point where it actually HURTS your hip pocket and forces you to make some sort of sacrifice (check out a great example of giving generously). If you are a ‘comfortable’ giver, where what you give is pretty easy to do and not affecting your lifestyle, then I challenge you to go harder, give more, and give so that it HURTS!

I don’t think the barrage of requests for our money will ever stop, it’ll probably increase as more & more ways to interact with each other develop. So I think we need to be prepared, get our hearts in the right place to give wisely, freely and generously!