What Kind of Giver Are You?
Emotions are mainly the root cause of our actions. We get overwhelmed by our emotions as it leads us to commit something we may not be so sure of at the moment but does it anyway.
As they say, don't make abrupt decisions when you are sad or angry, don't make promises when you are happy. I believe in that statement. I consider that as the golden rule. We are driven by the current emotions that we feel and so there's a big tendency that what we say is not what we mean.
Having said that, I stumbled upon an online mass I watched earlier and the message was very powerful. Although I attended the mass earlier, I was struck with how life-changing an act would be if you practice everything told in the bible.
The priest I watched on the television was a priest I used to watch on tv as well before. He said in his homily, there are different kinds of givers:
Cheerful/Genuine givers
These are ideal types of givers. Their generosity is based on how they really feel when they're happy. Even when they're not, the genuine emotions that they give out are real.
These are the ones who give out their true happiness through generosity. They are also referred to as "thanks givers" or "I want to give". They have this extreme desire to help other people as much as they could. They are selfless and they mostly think of other people's welfares.
I have never met someone who is a cheerful giver. I try so hard to be a cheerful giver always but sometimes I can't do it. Probably because something is holding me back. I hope and will do my best to be a cheerful giver someday.
Boastful givers
These are the ones who give help just for the sake of attention and recognition. Their intentions are not pure, they have an underlying cause of why they do such an act to the community.
They are also referred to as "humble braggers". They give because they want recognition. They want everything to be documented and their names should be on it. They give but what matters most to them is the recognition that they are rich and they make the community a better place because of what they did.
The essence of generosity is being faked as it transitions from the intention down to the documentation. Everything is documented and recorded. They upload it on social media and get recognized.
Calculating givers
These are the type of givers who feel like they're obliged to give. Everything that they give is calculated. Their intentions are there but it's not as pure as the cheerful ones. Something might be bothering them but they still want to help.
These are also referred to as "duty givers" or "I have to give". It feels like they're forced to do it or maybe they owe something to the community and they are forced to give back.
I consider myself as the duty giver most of the time. When I go to the church, my conscience is telling me to bring even a coin to offer to the church and I felt like I'm obliged to do it. When I pass by a homeless person on the street or a person asking for alms outside the house, I feel like I'm forced to do it.
Although deep in my heart, I really wanted to help people. God knows how pure I intend to help but it's just that I ran out of resources too and I deal with a tight budget too. If I can't give anything, my conscience will haunt me for not doing what's supposed to do. Is this still normal?
I believe each of us has innate goodness in our hearts. No matter how bad a person is, there's still kindness that you can see on him/her.
So which type of giver are you?
Thanks for reading.
Keep safe everyone!
Many times we are not guilty for not giving, as you say sometimes we are tight on budget that we cannot do it for major reasons but like you I love helping those who need it, God knows how to reward this type of action and I do not mean what material more to the spiritual side