The Antidote to Stagnation

ABSA hosted a financial seminar via Twitter Spaces last evening, and when the Q&A session began, one of the listeners — in response to what one of the speakers had said — asked, “How does giving benefit me?” The speaker prior had just stressed that generosity was one of the secret keys to accumulating wealth, but the querier didn’t see how money leaving his pocket could get more money in. The respondent then used the allegory of the dead sea. He said that this body receives water from but doesn’t have any leaving it. That alone makes it dead. In his labor to elucidate how generosity ought to be part of life, I remembered live examples of things that are like the dead sea.

Small ponds left over after the rain always developed a stench, inhabiting ‘squitoes and tadpoles. I also remember metallic tanks called drums in Uganda as we grew up. These gathered rain water from roof valleys. But they too when water stayed so long, became breeding ground for ‘squitoes and developing algae as well, just like our yellow jerrycan insides which stored water when it was off the main supply systems.

These things that had no ‘giving mechanism’ always ended up corrupted and stagnant; and I have seen people who are takers and never givers. They are entitled, and full of self-pity, always on the receiving end, expecting money or things from parents, or relatives. It’s in rarest of cases that these people give. I have no memory of the ones I know ever giving or prodigally letting money go even towards their loved ones. And they are STUCK.

Rivers are fresh because the water is always in motion. A wise man once said that it is in the way of money to constantly be in motion. If a man is always receiving it and never allowing it the desired liberty but always caging it in, it shall master that man and ensure that as soon as it has got to that man, it leaves!

The wisest man in the Old Testament said that the liberal (generous) soul shall be made fat (prosperous). And he that waters (refreshes/gives to) others will himself be watered (refreshed/given to) ~ Proverbs 11:25. This is a law! Compare it to gravity. Anything that tries to ascend without sustainable means always finds its way back down. As natural as gravity is, generosity is the same. Whenever one gives, he or she will be given to.

The only reason why the dead sea hasn’t dried up is because it’s at the lowest point below sea level, meaning the ‘givers’ automatically flow to it. Notice the altitudes. L.Victoria is always supplying water through R. Nile, but the fact that the Nile flows away, means that the lake is at a higher point on earth. Giving figuratively positions the giver to be ABOVE. Being on the receiving end positions you to be BELOW. The latter will always be beggarly, and at the mercy of the giver while the former will always be advantaged.

King Solomon prior verse 25 said, “There is one who gives, yet increases more; and there are those who withhold more than is right, but it leads to poverty!”

Notice the increase. This increase is in all aspects of life. It’d come in the form of receiving a promotion at your job, getting into that bigger house, receiving another child, getting better opportunities, or even a salary increment. These are all progressions from stagnation especially if you had hit some sort of limit at a point in life. Generosity will break all those walls hindering you from going where you want to go.

You should not despise this merely because it’s in the Bible. The Bible has actually inked invisible laws relevant to all mankind. This giving thing — if you’re keen enough — you’ll find that it works even for those that don’t know the Bible. When we were infants, just because we didn’t know what gravity was didn’t mean it’d spare us. We still lost teeth as we fell off tree branches. In the same way, whether you’re biased towards the Bible, or ignorant of it, it will not change the law of giving. You’ll however continue to perish because of a lack of knowledge concerning giving.

To back up the respondent from the evening’s talk, Jesus said in Luke 6:38 that when you give, it will return to you, multiplied, and running over. It is more like an investment actually, and if I’m to use seeds, remember that one maize seed when sowed can sprout into a plant with a thousand seeds. And if a thousand seeds are planted, that will be a harvest of a million seeds. The measure given (sowed) will determine the measure reaped. The more you give, the more stagnation you’ll terminate in your life.

The test to giving however comes when one tends to have less resources than usual, just like we always acknowledge gravity when we fall…

Generosity has to be a nature; like how Africans have black skin. Whether it’s blistering cold or scorching hot (and it is scorching hot right now), their skin remains black. Whether in dry seasons or wet, R. Nile still gives. Thus, as you begin to be a faithful giver, understand that those who’ll increase are not those who give as a one off…or when all circumstances are favorable. It has to be an immutable nature just like the African skin color.

Of course, there will be times when you’re low financially, but the gist is, you’d rather give less according to that little, than not to give at all. 2 Corinthians 9:11 says this will cause you to be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on EVERY occasion (helping the poor, contributing to weddings and familial functions, etc.)

Another disclaimer is that we are discouraged from being on the other side of the seesaw as it is more blessed to give than to receive. (Acts 20:35) Other versions say ‘you’re far much happier giving than getting’ and if you doubt it, compare the countries that are always donating and those that are always being donated to. They are rarely stagnant in their wellbeing or general progress…

With these supplements, I do pray that I have shed more light to the querier who asked how generosity would benefit him. Generosity will keep you a fresh brook, whose waters fail not. (Isaiah 58:11) What that means is that you won’t go stale, or change color, but remain relevant to all those around you!