By Jill Zempel | May 27, 2021
How happy are you? On a scale of 1-10 are you dance around the room happy, or content happy? Or maybe you’re miserable?
According to journalist Adrienne Bankert, author of Your Hidden Superpower: The Kindness That Makes You Unbeatable at Work and Connects You With Anyone, giving creates energy and compassion, and “a charitable moment can boost your spirit. In fact, the more you give, the more you maintain a hopeful mindset.” What’s evident in this is that giving makes us happy.
Bankert believes the secret to this happiness is to allow giving to be an all-consuming lifestyle such as being a foodie or a sports fan. You immerse yourself in the act of giving – no matter how big or small. And the joy returns to you in ways you don’t expect.
This revelation sounds a lot like what Jesus asks us to do. 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, “God loves it when the giver delights in this giving. God can pour on the blessings in astonishing ways so that you’re ready for anything and everything.” (MSG)
As with everything else that God designed with you and me in mind, he gives us the opportunity to give as pure gift. He created life this way. God has always known what we often forget; the more we give, the happier we are. That makes sense, right? So why can it be so hard?
For me, the busyness of life can get in the way. Rather than considering giving as a spiritual discipline and donating first fruits; college tuition bills, home improvements, medical bills, or trips to visit family take priority. Or it’s easy to rationalize tithing take home pay rather than gross, or factoring in that you donated hundreds of hours of your time volunteering as part of your tithe. The simple answer as to our struggle with giving is that we’re human and we’re sinners. We like to think that we can outsmart God – if even for a minute. Fortunately, God is all in, all the time. He’s ready to cheer us on or walk alongside of us no matter what the circumstance.
That’s the beauty of the emerging Dynamis Ministries…to encourage a life of abundance through the practice of radical generosity. In other words, dance around the room happiness.
I’m humbled to be part of the Dynamis Board, surrounded by joy-filled people. Part of the reason I’m excited to be part of this movement is that individually I can do more. Collectively we can do more. We can talk about generosity. We can pray about being filled with the Spirit to live generously. We can immerse ourselves in the act – no matter how big or small. And the joy will come back to us in ways we didn’t expect.
I encourage you to consider signing up for (no charge!) Generosity Coaching through Dynamis. My husband, Brian and I, recently began the process and it already has opened up great conversations and goals within our own family. It’s a unique opportunity to, at a minimum, reflect and be grateful for the blessings in your life.
We shouldn’t be surprised; of course giving makes us happier. It’s what God planned from the beginning. He has always wanted us to choose joy!
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”
– Ephesians 3:17-21 (NIV)
Reference
Bankert, Adrienne. 2020. Your Hidden Superpower: The Kindness That Makes You Unbeatable at Work and Connects You With Anyone. Nashville. HarperCollins Leadership.
Jill Zempel serves on the Board of Directors for Dynamis Ministries. Together with her heart for connecting with others and serving those in need, and extensive background in communications and writing/editing, Jill has helped several non-profits succeed in creating a lasting impact in their communities.
