Breaking Free from Selfish Habits

The Gift of Generosity 

At some point, each of us has received another person’s generosity. Regardless of the action, the effort in our lives is the same. It calls forth a sense of gratitude and humility that someone was generous with their time or resources.  

Thinking Forward 

An interesting way to reflect upon this virtue is to “think forward,” which shows a connection with foresight. What do I mean by “thinking forward?” First of all, what really prevents us from being generous? The obvious answer may be that we label the neglect as “selfishness” and then resort to the attitude “I’ll just do it myself.”  

Overcoming Selfishness with Awareness 

Here is the question, “Do you intentionally walk through your day with the desire to be selfish?” My experience has been when I have gotten upset by others not being generous, the response has been, “If I had known, I would have helped out.” On the flip side, if someone was upset with me for not helping or noting a need, I would respond, “If I had known, I would have done it.”  

Balancing Generosity with Moderation 

This is where the virtue of moderation and foresight can aid in living generosity. Foresight enables us to “lift our heads” to look ahead and around to be aware of other people’s needs. Of course, if we are too generous, our spiritual and material resources could be depleted, and we are no longer a “cheerful giver.” Moderation protects us from extremes and aids us to thoughtfully give our time, talent, and treasure to others.

A Prayer for Generous Living 

Let us conclude with this prayer for generosity:  

Dear Jesus, all I have is from you and belongs to you. Thank you for blessing me with so much. Please help me notice ways I can be generous today and make my life a gift to others. Amen (Virtue Field Guide, p. 94)