For the past week, I’ve had the principles from Arthur C. Brooks 2009 speech at BYU entitled Why Giving Matters on my mind. He shared how decades of research trying to prove that you have to have before you give actually led to him concluding that the opposite is true. He found that:
The bottom line is this: Givers are healthier, happier, and richer in this country—and probably around the world. It gives us stronger communities; indeed, it gives us a more prosperous nation.
In fact, the relationship is causal in the opposite direction — people who give more, get more. This appears to be an evidence of what Jacob taught about riches:
But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted. (Jacob 2:18-19)
There are temporal and spiritual blessings of giving — due to natural social and emotional responses, and the god-sent consequences of our faith.
My HWN the past few days was pondering on these principles, seeing them reflected again and again in scripture, and seeing them take place in my life:)
Also, McKay and I went on a hike up Big Springs trail yesterday — a hike we actually did a year and a couple of months ago. I wrote a post about it then as well :) We went a little further this time, but still haven’t made it to the end — maybe next time!
