Generosity in the Face of Disappointment

Generosity in the face of Disappointment

My question is how do you face deep disappointment and not let it affect your spirit of generosity. If you have a giving heart by nature and those around you start to disappoint you, many times the predictable human reaction is to stop putting yourself out there.

What if your purpose was to put yourself out there? Being generous and giving an over-abundance of kindness on those that disappoint you as well as those that bring you joy. Just as God pours the rain and the rays of sun on the just and the unjust equally you pour yourself out to others. 

Why do we feel that it is our place to judge which ones are worthy of our generosity and kindness? Doesn't the Scripture talk about pouring blessings on your adversaries?  Basically one meaning of having an adversary is engaging in antagonistic activities against another.  I have to ask myself: "How many people are you antagonistic against?" At times that can be a lot depending on how much traffic I'm in. :) I find that when I am hurt through disappointment I want to lash out and the easiest and probably the most conniving way is to retreat with my generosity. The person may not suspect it but in my heart I have already committed the transgression. Yes, I believe it is a transgression to withhold something from someone that they need so desperately. Don't we all desperately need generosity from God and from each other? Isn't that what brings joy and grace to us? Generosity provided extends grace to that person. 

By generosity I am not just necessarily talking in monetary terms, which it can be that form, but the other ways too, such as, your time, your attention, your creativity, your cooking, basically your doing something for someone else to help them out, to bless them.

During this season I am trying to be generous even when I don't seem to have anything to offer. I want to be generous in return even when I am hurt, be generous through my disappointment. Honestly, I think that when generosity is given during these moments it means so much more and I feel so much more blessed that I did it; because after all when I do something I'm doing it as unto the Lord not unto an individual.