On giving (part 2) (Part 1 is here.)
Giving needs to be consistent.
Just like excercise, if we want to see result, we need to keep it up regularly. It's not too hard to start, but usually after a couple of times, the muscles start to get sore, we feel the tiredness, we want to get back to the old routine of sleeping in, and we just tend to stop it there, until next time we get inspired again. Then during this break, the muscles get back to the old state, the sore's gone, we felt the stretch, then we "recovered", but the our health hasn't got a chance to improve.
The kind of excercise that will benefit our health is starting out with a realistic amount, and then keep it up. It takes quite an effort to break through with the old habit and strength level. We don't actually have to increase any amount until our muscle's totally getting used to the excercise that it's not a stretch any more, that it's just a new habit. Then with the increased capability of our health we can increase the amount little by little, every time with just a little more stretch, but stick to it until it becomes a new habit.
A lot of us give financially. But just like the irregular excercisers, we have to be inspired. We give, then we stop. Give again, then stop again... We want to see breakthrough with our finances, but we never give(excercise) long enough to pick up the flow. Emotional givers are just like emotional excercisers, the faith muscle never got a chance to get built up and strengthened. Our ability never get increased.
It's hard to form a new habit. But once it becomes a habit, once you taste the joy and reward of it, then it simply becomes a hobby, and it shouldn't be hard any more.
Wednesday, July 28, 2004
