A few years ago I drove up to Waco to visit my daughter Lauren, who was a sophomore at Baylor University. As we ate pancakes and eggs in a sticky vinyl booth at IHOP, she shared what a hard time she was having and the anxiety she was facing both about her schoolwork and the social scene. As we finished our meal and the waiter brought our check, we decided to do something fun and leave a large tip. Lauren and I snuck out of the restaurant and back to my car and watched through the window as the waitress picked up the check from our table. Her reaction was priceless, and so was the time laughing and giggling with my daughter as we blessed someone else.
I believe teaching your children to give with a generous heart is one of the best things you can do as a parent. I’ll let you in on a little secret: You don’t need a lot of money to start giving. You can start small, and you can start early.
Charity begins at home. When people, even if they have very minimal means, ask, “How can I help make someone else’s life better?” an entire shift of thinking occurs. It may sound very small, but it’s actually very, very big. Whether it’s $1, $5, or $20, you’re saying, “I’m taking my hard-earned money and I’m giving it to somebody else.” It changes how you think about money. You are the giver of a blessing to someone else.
Other families are realizing how much this outlook on life can impact their kids and the world. John O’Leary explained to me that his business is primarily as a motivational speaker, so when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, more than 90 percent of his top-line revenue disappeared nearly overnight. There was one particular day when he was struggling, licking his wounds, and feeling sorry for himself. But he remembers that even in the midst of hardship, he wanted to show his kids what leadership looks like. “You’re not just called to be joyful when you’re on top of the world. You’re called to be joyful when you feel like you’re beat down by it.”
John told me he was determined to set the right example. As a family, they agreed they’d make changes in their spending habits and in the way they stayed generous. That’s how he put it: how they would stay generous. “Boys, watch Dad. Watch. We’re gonna stay generous.”
Then in May, just a couple of months after the virus hit the United States, John learned he was going to receive a sizable royalty check for his book In Awe: Rediscover Your Childlike Wonder to Unleash Inspiration, Meaning, and Joy, which had just landed on several bestseller lists.
“I wanted to show my kids God’s desire in our hearts to be generous in all seasons—all seasons—so we had a conversation around the dinner table [about how to divvy up the royalty check],” John explained. “The decision was made ... that we were gonna give it all away, 100 percent of the proceeds were gonna go to Big Brothers Big Sisters,” which is an organization the whole family supports.
John said that once their decision had been revealed, other corporate sponsors recognized what his small business was doing and said to themselves, “‘Well, gosh, if they can do that, maybe we can do likewise.’ So there have been five other corporations that have come alongside us and have also written checks to Big Brothers Big Sisters. Good begets good.”
While emphasizing the importance of giving, John said newspaper headlines have given him a reason to continue discussing things that really matter with his children. “We talk about some of the injustices. We’ve been talking about this recession. We’re talking about their own dad who had his revenue cut ... dramatically because I wanted my kids on the inside—not so they get scared, but so they recognized this is real.”
Does your family need a reset? Is it time to sit down together and say, “You know what? We want to be a giving family. We’re going to set aside $10, $25, $50, or $100 a month. We’re going to have a family meeting together and each month, we’ll be asking ourselves, ‘How can we use this money to bless someone?’”
Connect the theoretical to the practical. Ask your kids to keep an eye out for any needs they see. Maybe the parent of a classmate lost their job. Ask your child, “What do you think that means to their family? How do you think they are paying for their house, car, or gas? What do you think it means to your friend in terms of their ability to go with you to the movie or eat out at a fast-food restaurant?” Together, brainstorm some ways to help. Perhaps there is an organization that does a lot to help people in your community that needs extra items, like blankets, during the cold season. Imagine with your kids how it would feel to have to try to sleep without a blanket. Ask if they would be willing to give one of their blankets so someone else can sleep warmly. See, now you’ve begun to foster a mindset of giving.
The impact we have on people. The good we do in the world. This is what really matters.
This excerpt is taken from “Good Money Revolution: How to Make More Money to Do More Good” by Derrick Kinney. To read other articles of this book, click here. To buy this book, click here.
The Epoch Times copyright © 2023. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors. They are meant for general informational purposes only and should not be construed or interpreted as a recommendation or solicitation. The Epoch Times does not provide investment, tax, legal, financial planning, estate planning, or any other personal finance advice. The Epoch Times holds no liability for the accuracy or timeliness of the information provided.
