PARENTING WITH YOUR MARRIAGE: GENEROSITY

If you read our newsletters each month, you may have noticed or read the themed blog “Parenting With Your Marriage.” This series is about being intentional with how you approach your marriage, since the little eyes in your life are learning a lot of lessons by the way you handle and care for your marriage. It seemed fitting that for the Christmas season we study the concept of generosity.

2 Corinthians 9:7 “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (ESV) This verse describes what generosity looks like because generosity for the purposes written here is an attitude not a certain amount.

Often at Christmas time, parents choose to skip exchanging gifts for each other in order to buy more gifts for the children. This is not an idea that NAME suggests. Children are perceptive; from a young age they understand that you give to what you treasure. Your generosity to your spouse can be a good lesson to the children about how “it is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35). I remember a time when I was about eight years old, and my dad roped me into a surprise, secret Christmas gift for my mom. We made pottery together, and I still remember how excited my dad was to give mom the gift that we made. This taught me a very valuable subconscious lesson—giving (generosity) at Christmas time can be just as fun as getting! We knew mom would be excited. Dad used this time to demonstrate what true generosity looks like, not reluctant or under compulsion, but cheerful and heartfelt. Christmas time is a great time to teach children the excitement behind giving by letting the child watch you give (or even participate in) the gifts to each other!