Let’s start this article off right….a description of what we are even talking about when it comes to having so little.
It’s a bit of a paradox really because when you have so little earthly possessions and material worth, it’s actually quite easy to see how valuable you really are and the richness of life itself. Your lens isn’t tainted by all these sparkly big expensive things…you are able to see clearly the magnitude of the beauty of the earth and all the people when there’s nothing blocking your vision. Your vision is stripped down to see the reality of what truly matters.
Maybe having “little” as the world views it actually opens you up to having so much more….the wealth that is life and breath and living….so much is taken for granted and can be missed in the “hustle and bustle” of life.
Let me also say that there really are plenty of people who also have plenty that see clearly and give generously. This is NOT an article bashing one or comparing one…it’s simply a thought…plain and simple, as are all my writings…just musings from a regular sinner’s perspective, so take it for what it’s worth.
This is an article about clarity really. Whether you don’t have much in the form of physical possessions, or family members, or struggling through dark waters. I chose this picture of my oldest serving my paralyzed Mom because that’s really what this is all about anyway….giving with whatever you can as an act of service to God. All she had to give was her time and love and she always gave it so very freely no matter the outcome.
TIMES OF WITHOUT
There have been a few times in my life that I have experienced the greatness of going without. It is a greatness to be sure, whether or not we see it at the moment. What makes it greatness? Because there are incredible insightful teachable moments of clarity you simply can’t get when your heart is filled with earthly clutter.
Growing up my parents were teachers, so we didn’t have much, but I don’t honestly remember that being a problem. We had the important things…food, clothes, a home, and we had bikes! I remember my bike being my freedom to the world!
Fast forward to myself as an adult living in my car. To most of the outside world that was obviously a time of doing without, but for me not really. It was honestly a good soul searching and learning time for me that I wouldn’t trade for the world. I had everything I needed.
When my husband and I went through our marriage struggles early on in our marriage, there were times when even our pantry was temporarily empty, but we still had a roof over our heads. God sent people during those times to come alongside us and fill our pantry and our need for true friendship.
There are other ways of going without as well…those can be emotional and mental breaking points for some.
I went without a break of any holidays off for 7 years of caregiving for my mom. I am not just referring to the big holidays either. Any holiday on the calendar I grew to hate because it just meant more time I couldn’t spend with my own family. No family traditions for us, no BBQ with friends on Memorial Day, no special dates on Valentine’s Day, no lazy Christmas mornings or cinnamon rolls in the oven. While I loved (and still do) my mom very much and am happy and honored to have been her caregiver, this was one of the hardest parts by far…no family time ever for our little family on any holiday ever.
The caregivers and family members got to have that time with their own families and while I was happy for them, I was in a dry empty desert of sorts longing for time with my own family.
Then after losing so many babies to miscarriages and longing for them, and then eventually losing my mom, my emotional, mental, and spiritual bank account had been broken.
All that to say, there are many ways that people can be “without” and now let’s dive deep into why it’s so easy to give when you have so little.
Galatians 6:2 reminds us “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
HAVE YOU EVER NOTICED A YOUNG CHILD THAT HAS NO MONEY, NO JOB, NOTHING TO GIVE, WILL PICK UP A BEAUTIFUL FLOWER OR ROCK AND HUMBLY OFFER IT TO YOU AS A GESTURE OF LOVE? THAT IS QUITE SIMPLY ALL THEY HAVE TO GIVE AND THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP WITH A HEART ATTITUDE TOWARDS GIVING.
LET’S GET TO THE MEAT OF THE MATTER AND THE 7 REASONS WHY IT’S SO EASY TO GIVE WHEN YOU HAVE SO LITTLE
1. THE PAIN IS REAL.
Once you experience and realize what the pain of what it’s like to do or be without is like, you are willing to give what you do have in order to help someone else through that.
That lonesome pain that feels isolating, loud, and never-ending is something you never want anyone else to walk through.
“The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” Psalm 34:18
2. YOU HAVE MORE THAN YOU THINK.
This is an interesting vantage point here. Once you have so little, your focus is shifted to what you DO HAVE!
So, your senses are then heightened to the awareness that you actually have more than you think! Living in my car I realized I still had my job, my car, clothes to change into, and money to buy food with. I had plenty. In fact, what else could I need? Our viewpoints are so interesting until they are forced to change.
What do you have that you are so unaware of because your view is cluttered through other things? It’s all about perspective!
Luke 3:10-11 reminds us “What should we do then?” the crowd asked. John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”
3. YOUR NEEDS ARE TAKEN CARE OF.
This is a crazy one too! When you are in the throws of doing without, it is sometimes only then that you can realize your moment by moment needs really are being provided for by the One who thoughtfully designed you out and wrote out all your days before one of them came to be.
You come to trust and rely on your Savior in a stripped-down real version in a way that maybe you never have had the privilege of before. Going without and having less makes you realize that you were never in control anyway.
Matthew 6:25 is a kick in the gut reminder of a biblical lens to view this through. “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
and again in
Philippians 4:19 “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”
4. YOU ARE CAPABLE OF HELPING.
So, it seems that the world will tell you that you have to have money or power or prestige in order to help others right?
Nothing could be further from the truth!
Whether or not others have come to your side and encouraged you, given you much-needed items, or helped you, this doing without can be a powerful catalyst.
It emboldens you to grasp your own humanity as you realize you are able and capable to do for others with whatever you have to give.
Romans 12:10 reminds us it’s not all about helping in the monetary sense. Lift one another up. Lend an ear. Encourage with your words. “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.”
5. YOUR EYES ARE NOW OPEN.
There is something very sad about the way our culture tends to live. Day in and day out wake up, go to the job, earn the money, pay the bills, buy all the stuff, make your family the best.
But, when you don’t have much, your eyes are now open to another world that maybe you weren’t blessed to know existed before. Your eyes have been opened to see the hurting, lost, and those doing without.
Have you ever noticed that sometimes like attracts like (kind of like oil attracts oil and stuff like that?). So, if someone is rich and powerful, they may tend to hang around the rich and powerful crowds and not want to be seen with someone that their circle would deem “less than”? This is NOT always the case mind you at all. Just hang with me here.
Well, once you have been humbled and been without, your eyes are now open to see those that maybe go unnoticed by so many.
And maybe just maybe that by seeing these beautiful souls, you are seeing God Himself for the first time. After all, who did He come to save? Who did He befriend? Who did He long to be near and listen to and encourage? The scales have fallen off your eyes and now whether there are times of riches or famine in your future, you can see the world that is there to help.
Proverbs 19:17 reminds us of just whom we truly are serving, “Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward them for what they have done.”
6. YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE.
Think about it. If your whole life is spent acquiring money and possessions, you may be apt to protect those things which you have spent time, energy, and money acquiring. You don’t want to lose all you have worked so hard to “earn”.
But, if you have experienced the blessing of being low, you may get to a point you literally have nothing left to lose. If that happens, there is a place of freedom and an almost joyful abandon because there isn’t anything left to lose.
That contentment and joy you find when you have nothing, realizing you have truly everything, allows you to give so generously with whatever small portion you have.
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much. Luke 16:10
1 Timothy 6:6-7 “But Godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it.
7. YOU HAVE FIGURED IT OUT.
Having been through sufferings, trials, dark waters, and times of without changes you, or it should anyway, and for the better hopefully. It brings you to a place of realizing that none of it…the physical possessions, the money, the fame, the popularity, even the friends, will last forever.
Something about going without allows you the freedom and quiet to soak in the reality of life and its meaning. We were put here to serve. We were made to love others.
Sometimes (not all the time) we have to be let loose of our material possessions or desires (even good desires) in order to see clearly that those things will pass away and can be big roadblocks to how we are supposed to be living our life.
Without the weight of the possessions and the burdens, we are freed up to give and love and love well.
II Corinthians 12:9-10 reminds us of the goal after all, “But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”
Stop living for the things, the money, the popularity, the opinions of others, and anything else temporary.
This life is so short and we don’t know how long our time here will be, but why not make it really worth it by investing in other people and giving what you can when you can and seeing the real joy and beauty of giving.
Comment below if you have experienced the blessing of doing without and how that changed your vantage point of life and giving.
Join The Rich Life Society!
SUBSCRIBE to get our latest content by email.
Never miss out on the best streamlined solutions and strategies to create your rich life by design.
2 Comments
Leave your reply.