Thanksgiving. Christmas. Our thoughts turn to presents, good food, and company, all of which you’ve worked so diligently throughout the year. And, like it or not, Western culture typically thinks of generosity as giving from your wallet, in terms of cold, hard cash, or a lucrative donation. The simplest definition of the word generous is showing kindness toward others.

So when did Western culture turn generosity into giving up our money?

It’s also interesting that every so often in religious cultures, messages from the pulpit are directed around generosity and having a giving spirit. The weird part is these same messages come at a time when donations are lowest, immediately right AFTER the holidays, January and February. It’s a call to arms. A reminder. It’s time. Time to be EVEN MORE generous with your money.

Hearing these messages, ones reminding us to be generous and cheerful givers, makes you question and wonder about the speaker’s motives. What are you communicating? Is the underlying premise of your sermon being generous? Or are the coffers low? Is your church’s leadership panicking and scared that God won’t meet their needs somehow? Perhaps there’s a little truth there. But we’re forgetting something much more important than financial security. We’re forgetting about people.

Generosity means showing and being kind to others. That means going out of your way to do something you wouldn’t do. Sending a text message. That can be an act of generosity. How about making a phone call to someone you don’t talk to often? Or taking out the garbage? Cleaning the bathroom? Taking someone who’s sick food or medicine? Giving someone who doesn’t have a vehicle a ride?

There are so many ways you can treat someone with generous behavior. Take a few minutes and buy them a cup of coffee. Check in with a friend who suffered a tragic loss, like the death of a loved one. Remember that friend who is grieving. These people don’t need money. They need a friend.

They need you to be generous.

What will you do to show someone generosity today?