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Are you a giver at heart – or not?

By Anonymous Philanthropist Message

I hear a lot of people say that once they have more “they will be able to help people.”

Do you believe this is a true statement – hmmmmm?

I want to challenge your thinking on this.

My description of a true giver at heart (remember this is MY opinion):

  1. They give at the level that they are at right then – continuously.
  2. They can and will give their last to help someone else because they believe they will be just fine and more will come.
  3. They don’t say statements like “I will give more once I hit it big.”
  4. They are always giving of more than just time, but of their own substance.

Even the Bible says “He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much….” Luke 16:10. So to put this into the context we are talking about, when things are small you will give and that is the proof that when things are big you will still give. Now if you don’t believe that just look around. I see it everyday.

This posting was not meant to offend anyone. If it did, I apologize.

Here is my challenge to you:
Over the next 7 day of whenever you read this posting, find something that you can do to change someone else life for the good and post what you did and their react. Also let us know how you felt inside after doing it.

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30 Comments

  • Judy

    I know that I have given my last before. I am currently letting a woman and her 2 kids live with me and she hasn’t given me any money in about 5 or 6 weeks, I haven’t even kept track. I feed them, and keep all the bills on to the best of my ability. The problem is that we are all about to sink because we can’t seem to get enough money together to pay everything. She lost her job about 2 weeks after she moved in with me, and now she is making a tenth of what she used to. I am not making much money either because the economy is so bad right now. If anyone reads this and knows where we can find some help let me know please, before 2 single mothers and 4 little boys are homeless. JudyAtl1982@yahoo.com

  • fernando

    To give the last time I gave was my self to help other people I some times take time to make sure other poeple are help but poeple tell me to not do that because people will not do the same for me even though I still do that I belive in karma and if you help some one out in the end you will be praised by god and he will help you out I like helping people out because it makes me feel good inside and people get know that their is good out there at least that what I think so in the end I will keep on helping people because that the way it should be anyone or anybody cuz that what makes me feel good

  • Pamela J

    I was out to dinner with my husband one night. A woman and her 4 kids were sitting behind us. The kids were so good and they had great manners. My husband and I decided to pay for their dinner. We asked our waiter to give her a note when we left and tell her it was taken care of. My husband wrote in the letter what great kids she had and that was a testament of what a great mother she was. We went back to the restaurant the next week and our waiter told us that she started to cry when she received the letter and she had been in a custody battle with her ex husband for months and finally got her kids back and she wanted to take them out to eat and only had 20 dollars. Our waiter told us that she was overwhelmed. It was a honor to do that and it is something that my husband and I continue to this day. We are not financially able to give but what we have will go to another if it means we do with out , when we see that they are in greater need than us. When we are out and see someone in need even if it is a dinner. We dont hesitate to give. Giving is a gift to the heart.

  • Sandie Jones

    What great comments. I’m not financially able to give either but I try. I do make a small donation to the church each month but it’s not much. And of course it means that other bills get left unpaid because we don’t have enough to go round!
    BUT I do manage to find a little time to help out – maybe some cleaning or organising or lending a hand. It’s all voluntary because my time is all that I have that I can give and my time’s precious to me, so I feel I’m giving SOMETHING!

    And I DO BELIEVE it’s true that some people will give more when they get more! Some people just say it and some people really do it! Somebody’s starting a website where he or she says they want to help people! Isn’t that proof enough?! They couldn’t do that BEFORE they had enough money, so in their heart, they KNEW they wanted to help as soon as they could! God bless you all.

  • Alicia

    Giving doesn’t have to just be money. but that was what I thought for the longest time because I’m still young. I’ve came to realize that you can give more than just your money. You can give your time and love also. My form of giving was mowing the lawn for my neighbor because he is elderly and shouldn’t be out in the hot sun working. I just thought that it would be nice for him, a man who has worked all his life, to just sit back and relax and let someone else do his work. This man rakes his own leaves,works in his garden, and takes care of his blind wife. So I just wanted to help him out a bit. Inside I felt a sense of satisfaction. His joy brought my joy, and I found myself drivien to do more. So even though I don’t have money to give, I am still giving.

  • Robert Bessey

    right now living on a fixed income as a disabled war vet and in need of some new medical equipment am buying a beautiful young ladie a laptop for school so she has the right laptop to complete her course in web and video design she should have it in a few weeks as it is bieng custom built for her classes it will be a surprise when she gets it her and her parents are still unaware that i am doing this and have already put off her registration till her father can afford the laptop so instead of buying equipment that will help me strengthen muscles and relieve alot of the pain day to day i chose to help this young ladie and her family so she could start school on time in just a few months and it took more than i had saved back so yes if you ask my friends they will all say i give more than i have if i know it will help someone else in the long run and i leave it up to the Lord to get me through the hurdle of bills the following month

  • Robert Bessey

    i almost forgot the last part of your request my apologies to do what i do makes me feel i am still able to do what the Lord wants us to even if we dont have what we think we need at the time and by doing this it warms my heart and makes me happy to know that i made life easier for someone else even if it means i come up short for bills i need to pay and i thank God for the way my parents and grandparents raised me to see and help others at all costs this is partly why i am a disabled vet i was retired due to injuries sustained by preventing a rape murder by fellow sailors while in toulon france she survived and during the altercation my back was broken and i was paralyzed for 3 days and by the grace of God I still walk but as a result of this injury and several others sustaind in the line of duty i am not able to physically do what i used to for others so now i give in the only way i can through love and what little finance i have

    sincerly
    robert j bessey usn retired

  • gillian

    I give money each month to a charity which helps to improve the lives of children all around the world. I sponsered one little girl who was 7 when i first met her right up till she was 16 when i sadly had to say ggodbye. I am again sponsoring another little girl who is only 6 and look forward in helping her to have a better quality of life. I could spend the 20 pounds on other things but i feel that she needs the cash more than i do. When i get the letters from her mother telling me what my sponsorship is doing for this family it makes me feel very proud that i am helping them

  • Paula Smeltser

    Giving of yourself comes in many forms and I recently took in a foreign exchange student from Serbia. My son and I live on about $150.00 a week and it’s tightened our belts, but the experience is worth it to all of us! We are learning about new people and he is experiencing the wonderful country that we live in! In the end, we’ll all be better people because of it and hopefully I won’t get too far over my head in the coming year.

  • David

    I live in a world where every one wants something. I was born into a welfare family, learned and lived a very hard lifestyle. Top it off, I come from a minority group. top on the list from my state. This taught me that I better get what I can get whenever and how ever I could get it. I went from incomplete high school (11th) to skid row. Stayed there until I was 36 yrs old. Imagine the damage I created for myself. My criminal record is so long that once when I went to get a back ground check at the State Troopers so I could work for a certain agency, the line had to be diverted to another computer so they could get all the one pagers out and on their way. I had a very scattered job history, physically I’m a mess. So yes I was a taker not a giver. Although, I knew I have always wanted to be and do things differently then the way I was carrying on. I knew I was not being who I really was at heart. One day I put down all my booze, and drugs and I put a wall between me and my past and I just started behaving like I have never had any problems before. I set about getting the training I needed to get a job in some type of human services field. Now I make 18.22 an hour and I have an apt for the past 4 yrs, I have a car! My God! who would have ever thought?! Iwork very very hard to just hang on to these material things yet they are not important to me. Well, I take that back. They are important for me ONLY because on a daily bases I am flying out of bed so I can jump in my car, go check in with my Supervisor, then hit the streets. i work with Chronic homeless alcoholics. I try to encourage them to come to the program where they too can start to rebuild their lives.
    I do what I do because I love to see the look on peoples faces when they are trying something new and they realize that it is not as hard as they make it to be in the first place. When they realize that life is easy, I love to see the boost they get and also to watch how far ahead that boost moves on in life. I don’t anticipate my paychecks coming in I just show up to work and my whole life is fullfilled. Ennit Great?

  • Randal Ballantyne

    Well I hope this can be considered the same of giving not by money but could be a part of money—I have my personal explanation I have come too my own way of giving and it I know I will not change because I may one day win a lottery or what have you what I have been doing as of December each and every day if there is not enough food each day for my family of 6 I will not eat over the course of this time I can be the one too reassure that I have done this at least 5 months out of the 6 months I can only say that I do not even let my family know I am doing this I don’t want them too fell guilty so as far as the reaction there is not any too be given but as far as my personal reaction inside is the best felling that I could ever fell I have no concern for my-self only my family.I also would do this for a stranger if I could.

  • Dorothy Dinkel

    For as long as I can remember…I have loved the feeling that comes into my heart when I see someone smile, cry with joy and happiness and all of this from someone, anyone, including me, giving of themselves in whatever way that was needed by that person at that time. God chooses the time and place to move us to be there for others. And I find myself moved many times a day. I think that this is truely Gods way of answering the needys prayers. I love people…All people. I find that rich and poor alike add so much to my life, just by a chance meeting and saying” Good Morning” With A Huge Smile and asking someone” How They Are ” and them replying to that… It may be just what they needed at that time to get them through the day. I love people….
    I work part time at our local K-Mart, and on my break…A tiny little older woman came walking towards me…She was using a cane and as she approached, I said” Good Morning Honey. How are you dong today” She smiled back..(.Awesome.).and said she was doing ok except for the pain in her hips. I talked with her throughout my break and learned that she had had an operation that had been unsuccessful; because the doctor had during the operation damaged some nerves in her hip, and there was just a lot of pain in her life. But then she said..”But our Lord went through extreme pain on the cross and All for Us…So I think I can handle this pain…And be grateful for what I do have…Life”. I was overwhelmed with the Love from this woman…the strength..that she showed to me …a complete stranger..So I reminded her of the Hymn I had learned as a child…I traveled down this weary road and no-one seemed to care, The burden on my weary back had bowed me to dispair, I oft complained to Jesus how folks were treating me, And then I heard him say so tenderly….My load was also heavy upon the Calvary Road..The cross became so heavy I fell beneath its load..Be faithful weary pilgram..I can thy Glory see…Just take my cross and follow close to me….She almost started to cry and said “Lord Lord Yes” She thanked me for taking the time to speak to her and Listen. I was agian overwhelmed by the feeling in my heart for this precious old lady…Love…It is absolutely more precious than all the gold in this world…This is the feeling in a persons heart when they are touched by the hand of God..
    This is just one of many true events that happen to me daily…And I find that I am not a poor person at all..I am Filthy Rich with Gods Overwhelming Blessings Given to Me DAILY. God Bless You…Whoever You Really Are…………….Sincerely Dorothy Dinkel

  • Sonya Johnson

    I don’t have a lot of fiances to give, but I constantly give of myself to others. There was this man who wanted to give up because he had full blown aids. No one want to be associated with him. Everyone avoided him as if he was a plauge. I took the time to hold him in my arms and whisper sweet encouraging words to him. The tears just flowed because no one had ever embraced him for fear of his aids. I then took him to my home and fixed him a home cooked meal and he was so overwhelmed. He wondered and ask wasn’t I afraid of him because of his lesions and his apperance. I let him know that God had not given me a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind. He loves us all unconditionally and that’s how he wants us to be. He thanked me and now when he feels alone or as if no one cares, he knows that in the spirit he can talk to God, but when he was a physical embrace, I’ll be there for him. It’s just nice to be nice. When you’re in Christ and He’s in you, you can’t help but protray His character. Thank God for you are a “gift” indeed.

  • Sonya Johnson

    When you put youself and your feelings on the back burner, just know that God is working it out for you. God always bless us to be a blessing. Don’t ever let anyone talk you out of you blessing. Be blessed woman of God.

  • catherine daniels

    My idea of giving is doing it without even knowing you’ve done it. I give everyday in different ways. I know when my neighborhood kids have not eaten and it is in our families make-up to just feed any child without any questions. It’s a thing that’s done so often that periodically someone will bring it to our attention to ask why. The only answer we can ever give is you never know who your feeding or when you will need someone to feed you. It was not that long ago when we were in need and someone extended there hands to us. “What you get out of life is exactly what you put in.”

  • Madonna

    I removed food in my pantry for a young lady that said she had nothing. I filled a huge contanier with various items. One week after that she said she had no money I had just started back attempting to save but gave to her all I had. I felt good giving.

  • Chris Magliochetti

    I grew up almost angry at the way everyone seemed to always take advantage of my work-a-holic mother who seemed to constantly and consisently give the shirt off her own back to improve others’ lives. Then I actually got it! My mother was the only person I knew who was truly happy within. To her and to God I owe my own feeling of being blessed at all times. Including this very moment in my own life when a very trusted friend has mishandled my family’s life savings and squandered it all in under 5 months. He had promised to return the entire amount (190K) plus 40% within 9 months. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life, but after much discussion and prayer, my wife and I told him we were not only going to forgive the debt. We also were not going to pursue his family’s home in court as was promissed as collateral. Now we are in seeming dire straits, but our faith is sustaining us. We can sleep knowing that we are always trying to Enhance others lives, even if ours has to take a back seat temporarily. I am blessed to have an equally faithful wife. Good luck with all of your promise in this site. Have a wonderful and blessed launch!

  • nicholas Hansen-Toth

    i was walking home from the seattle mariners game a couple weeks back. I was walking along the piers and noticed a homeless man curled up in his blanket with all of his belongings next to him. I asked him if i could talk to him, he was very rude… I asked if he needed any help… i offered to give him 5 dollars (I only had 60 dollars to my name) if he could talk to me and give me his story.He said sure… I found out he has 5 kids living in california and was out on his luck…I saw the glow in his eyes as someone like me was treating him like a human being… he talked and talked, like a patient to his/her counselor… he warmed up more… what a great feeling it was to help this man…
    Whenever i see a homeless person holding a sign, i always stop and give them a buck or two… it always warms me up, and warms them up too….please do the same..
    right now my sister is helping me out, and iam deeply grateful.. what comes around goes around, you will be blessed for your kind actions in the afterlife.
    Peace

  • Kat

    I do not believe in the statement give more when you have more. Even if you think you can’t you can.. it does not have to be about money!
    I believe that in ‘giving we are receiving’.

  • barbara salters

    im a single parent of 3 biological adult kids.im 54 now.in 1990 i took in my 2 yr old grandaughter,she now is soon to be 19yrs old,aslso in 1992 i took in my sisters 3 day old drugcrack cocaine addicted twins.they are now 16.i legarlly adopted all 3 kids in 1995.it has been hard but i did everything everyday to give these kids a life.the parents of all three children to this day are stillon drugs,going in and out of prison.i feel i did a pretty good job raising them although the twins had and have problems from their addiction but they are well mannered kids.ive given alot.now i have osteoarthritis so im not able to do like i use to,but i raised them in a way and taught them how to do all the basic things when im not well,like cook,clean buy groceries.use a debit card shop for household item etc.they now are a help to me when im not well.

  • Maiden

    I have doing fire rescue for many years. Over the past 12+ years I have done it on a volunteer basis. I love what I do and why I do it…I do this because it comes from the heart not the pocket. I wouldn’t change anything for the world. Saving lives, property animals or running into the burning building as everyone is coming out is a reward that no one can ever take from you. I enojy teaching and learning anything and everything I can to help others. I lost my husband 12 years ago but that hasn’t stopped me from helping others in need or just taking the time to talk to someone that needs an ear.

  • Tammy

    I am not really sure what to type here to be honest. Since everyone is reading this, I know that I am not rich, I live from paycheck to paycheck, but I also know that their are people less fortunate then myself. I work and I struggle just to have the basic things in life like most people do. I also know that I am where I am in life due to my choices and my own decisions and that I can’t really blame anyone as much as I would like too:) Right now gas prices are crazy, and I think are country needs to focus on our economy and the well-being of our AMERICAN citizens, but that is a whole different story. I live in a area that just got hit with floods, I am thankful I didn’t. A lot of families lost their homes and everything. I would really try to pick someone who was in need and not someone I knew at all. Even though I have friends that struggle like I do just to pay bills. Most of the people hit by flood waters didn’t even have flood insurane/home owners/renters. Sad really:( I could of wrote my life story, but that would of taken hours and this isn’t about ME, right. and how I could use money to get out of debt or to make my life better.

  • Rhonda

    I was raised by my grandmother as my mom was not the best parent at the time. My grandmother is the wisest person I know. I am so glad that I realized she was more then just a grandparent while I still have her around to cherish her. She is the one who taught me many things that shape who I am today. There is always someone who is in worse shape then you are. God puts no more on you then you can handle, and it makes you stronger. The golden rule..which I think people forget alot lately. My life story could be a novel. It was not easy. People who know the whole situation ask me how I can have the attitude that I do. She taught me that I defined who I was. It was up to me to let things life dealt us make me a failure or a success. It could make me bitter, or it could make me determined to succeed. I chose the latter. I will give someone else my last dollar because I know I will figure otu a way to get what I need, they may not be as strong. Not judging them, just know myself. My kids started volunterring in elementary school. I have biracial kids, and I wanted them to know, they are never too young to contribute to their community and it is their responsibility to do so. One has no idea how much sitting and talking to an elderly person can do them good. Planting them flowers, or reading them a book. We may not have a big checkbook, but our heart has a neverending balance. We have had several wrecks at the intersection close to our house, and we run out and assist people when we can. We have all been CPR and first aid trained. It is a bad intersection, and we keep flashlights and phones handy. We are there to calm people down, make phone calls, and whatever is neccessary. My daughter laughs because we have often awaken to notes taped on the door or a knock from a loved one or the victim coming back to thank us for making them feel a little more comfortable. You give what you can, when you can. It is not all about money. I wish all the problems could be cured by money. I myself have wished I had a friend close by more times then I wished I had $20 more dollars. Giving of ones self is a lot harder them giving of ones money. How often do you really listen, or give the time to make someones life a little better. The true reward is best enjoyed when it was started by a gift of the heart. A present for a needy child is great..$10 bucks would do it..but knowing she wanted a special doll, and being close enough to the family to see her enjoy it.

  • christine guipo

    Well, I hope it’s not too late for me to say something here:-). This blog was posted before I got registered here. As I went through this site, this particular blog struck me. The question is ” Are you a Giver at Heart or not?” For me, blessings we received from the Lord are not meant to be clung to, but to be shared. Generosity is a virtue especially fitting those who follow the Lord. Jesus teaches us that it is far better to give than to receive. Without cost we have received, without cost we are to give. Earthly riches and material possessions have quite a lure upon our hearts. We can easily become seduced by the desire for more and more things thinking that our security will rest upon how many goods we are able to accumulate. This is folly. Material possessions and money are relatively unimportant. They can be used to do any number of good things, including putting bread on the family table, but in the end we will not be able to take any of the things of this world with us to the next. Heavily, not earthly treasures must be our goal.
    Sometimes I’m wishing to hit the jackpot in lottery (though i don’t bet) so I could give MORE to people I am helping; so I could help them always with their needs. Maybe, I can put up a charity foundation for the homeless, orphan, and aged out of this big money. I am saying this because of the fact that I want to help MORE people materially and not just morally, socially and spiritually which I usually do. I admit that my state of living right now is poor materially and financially but this does not stop me from helping my fellows or those people who need most help. If I have something I could share, I share. I don’t have enough possessions to share with but I can give my time, my ears and my hands. Though these may seem insignificant, great things result from the smallest acts of kindness toward neighbor. A smile, an encouraging word, a courtesy or a favor are rays of light in a world that is otherwise very dark.
    It is always in my heart to give and to help those in need. It does not need to be rich and wealthy so as we can help. Being rich and wealthy is being in great chance to give more and to help more people. Greatness in this life consists not in having, but in giving. A person amass a vast fortune in material possessions but still not find fulfillment or satisfaction in life. True happiness lies not in preoccupation with self, but with care and concern for others.
    The rich man cannot be truly wealthy unless he gives his possessions away, and we cannot be at all significant unless we are willing to give our lives away in loving service to God and neighbor.

  • Rebecca Fountain

    Now myself I was always taught that you give until it hurts…as well as life is not waiting for the storm to pass, but rather learning how to dance in the rain…so with that being said, I will definately say I am giver from the heart.

  • Jamie R

    I think that giving is something that we all do in some way. Some can just give more because they either have more things to give or they are not in a financial situation that limits the giving. I have given in many ways….I have helped my sister in continuing school by giving her money for her books…I have given clothes to a coworker that I did not even know because she lost her house to a fire and had a husband and three kids. I give my time to others that need it to just talk about things that they might be bothered with. So my opinion is that no matter what we are always giving it just might not look or feel like it all the time. Most recently I have given my home to an exchange student that was going to be sent back home because they could not find anyone to take him. This made me feel great and I am very thankful that I was at the right spot when he needed help. I always say that things happen for a reason and we just need to find out what that reason is.

  • Madeleine Morin

    I believe in giving and in good deeds, but I also believe in them being anonymous. Sometimes I want the person to know it was me, but I keep the urge to myself. There is nothing wrong with the good feeling in your heart after a good deed, but it should stay in your heart. That is one way to grow in your spirit and soul.

    Blessings

  • Betty Hilborne

    Well, I so believe in this whole philosophy.
    First, I was raised that it is better to give than receive. My greatest joys are seeing someone’s eyes light up, their heart ready to burst, that I was able to “give” to them.
    I have very little, and in debt tremendously from my medical bills. But you can always find some way to bless someone. A coat you no longer use, blankets I store in the back of my car, washed and repaired, which I give to homeless sleeping on the sidewalks. I’ve given my lunch to kids in our lobby who were crying they were hungry (I work for Social Services), as well as to the homeless. I have emptied my cupboards for the single mom with little ones. Donated blood when I was still able to. (leukemia) I constantly “recycle” my teen’s jeans and sneakers he’s outgrown to someone who I think can use them, and if I don’;t know of anyone, to a shelter.
    I give my time to causes, I drive my neighbor shopping and to doctor appointments, I have let numerous people live with me over the years. I babysit for free for struggling moms, giving them a break once in a while. I bake cookies and give them, as well as “leftovers” (purposely make too much) to those on fixed income. I am not a saint, nor do I have any desire to pat myself on the back. I just wanted to share ideas for “giving”. It’s a way of life. Basic generosity and caring. Seeing how much you do have and what others need. Finding a need and fulfilling it. Loving others and showing the Lord your thanks for His blessings on your life. It makes your life rich.
    Blessings to you. Happy days.

  • Mary ann

    I used to think I needed to give gifts and money and things but from being on-line and going into chatrooms over the past nine years,I have found even from just typed words you can give so much.

    Nothing was ever done purposely by me.I would just be me in chat.Cripe I would yap to all in the open rooms,do my poetry and zaniness and find out much later how many lives just being me I had touched.

    I was so humbled and touched by all they gave back to me even tho they would say,no it was I that had lifted thier spirits,thier hearts,made thier lifes brighter.So many dear friends have been made across the world on this wire.

    I have cried tears and sent flowers to funerals of my friends,I have had thier children write me and send me gifts,as were sent to by me to them.

    If they only knew how lonely and alone I was, until turning on this webtv to be greeted by smiling words on a screen.

    We use nicnames in chat I have been so blessed,a famous jazz piano artist has written a composition about me.My nicname is on his other cd jacket also.I told him I could now die happy as I was finally famous because of him. But he replied,No he was finally composing because of me.

    So you see folks,we do not need riches or gifts or money all we need is the other side of ‘Glass Words’the side that does not cut and wound like a sharp and deadly shard but the beautiful shiny fragment that scintilates,shimmers and uplifts anothers life.

    Just be you,give of you.

    ~Peace of Heart Always~

    MistyCool-Mary Ann-Marushka

  • marissa

    i’m not sure if this falls into this category,but my hausband and i are both dis abled with five young children.we always manage up at the food banks towards the end of the month,we get a lot of visitors and they just so happen to stay for supper/dinner.you know what we always have enough to feed everyone and not have i said i can;’t feed any one extra because i have to worry about my kids.now i have gone to bed hungry at times to make sure others eat but i always stated i’m not hungry.my aunt and i laugh because i told her,you know what god always seems to give me those fish and loaves of bread just when i’m down to my last.thank you lord .god bless to all.

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