I spent most of the first decade of my professional life working in either fundraising or a fundraising adjacent field, while also engaging in ministry activities. During that time, I learned some lessons about new ways to build relationships. What struck me the deepest during that time was something that should have been self-evident: people enjoy giving to what is meaningful to them. Asking a person who is passionate about an organization to support it financially is one of the most joy-filled endeavors in the world, just as making that gift is a source of joy to those who give.
Often during these times, I would leave a meeting with a donor reflecting on these words from 2 Corinthians: “Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” Giving is not meant to be transactional. It isn’t meant to be something that occurs because of a feeling of guilt or obligation, but rather it is to be an act of worship (and worship is meant to be a source of joy and joyous in all of the forms that it takes).
Part of the challenge that many of us find in Paul’s words comes simply from our 21st-century mindset. We have lost sight of the agricultural world in which Paul lived. When he wrote that those who sow sparingly will reap sparingly, to the first century Corinthian church that idea didn’t require a second thought; they lived by what they grew or what grew nearby. To sow seed required that farmers plan appropriately, and that they save a percentage of their harvest for the next year’s planting. Without sowing generously, they would not only reap sparingly, but also be unable to sow the next year’s crop, ultimately leading to their eventual demise.
There’s a larger lesson in that thought process: we need to plan for how we are called to give. We shouldn’t give on the spur of the moment; rather, we should consider the resources with which God has blessed us each, look at the spend-save-give model, while taking into careful consideration how much seed we need to replant for the next season, and then we must pray over that decision. When we are able to take all of the factors into appropriate consideration, giving will always truly be a joy-filled experience.