A few days ago, my Foundation attended to some urgent needs on a public forum. The experience taught me that humans have an uncanny ability to delay answers to their prayers, by themselves.
To begin with, I’m not sure the beneficiaries expected the Universe to respond when they verbalized their needs. It could be disillusionment from deferred hope or maybe previous failed promises. But in some cases, the recipients weren’t prepared. We chased for responses and then for accurate instructions on how to help.
There was also my structure. I realized that our speed of response could contribute to the delay. If one wants to give, they should do so with alacrity.
In that same period, an organization asked me to endorse someone for a significant opportunity. I was asked to treat it in confidence, so I couldn’t mention it to the individual. However, I wanted to customize the reference, so I reached out to request the person’s CV. I did so three times and they acknowledged each message. They were however too busy to send the bio until the last minute.
Perhaps, they were dealing with personal issues. Maybe village people were on their case. Who knows? A prayer had already been answered but was being delayed by the recipient.
Finally, I’ve learnt people don’t really give in Nigeria.
When I used to work in the corporate sector, my company sponsored nine orphanages for years. Quite frequently, we would get feedback, that our contributions as an SME far exceeded the combined donations of banks. We had to check the annual reports of those banks to confirm. Lo and behold, it was true. In some years, our CSR spend exceeded theirs. Today, this would probably not be true. After all, Big Brother and Dirty December are very expensive to bankroll 
It’s the same with fundraising you know. In any association, even if everyone earns relatively the same, you’ll usually see the same names donating over and over.
Giving is a culture. It’s not a function of how much money you have. Those that are stingy when they have thousands, will also do same when they have millions.
Giving is about prioritization. So many people are distracted. They believe when they finally hammer and are settled, then they will have time to give. But that time never comes. A parent dies, they get cancer, competitors breathe down their necks…one thing after another keeps them distracted. Then one day, they get old and regret not making an impact earlier. They rarely give their best to God or others. When they have finished using their lives, they now want to give the remaining.
Giving makes you more brilliant and creative. I don’t know how it works exactly, but generosity has opened my heart and mind. It’s like there are all these spaces waiting to be filled. I see light so clearly and intensely. I hear the universe more loudly.
Givers are better product designers. Because their hearts are large and filled with compassion, they design with empathy. They are always thinking of others and their products are often authentic, thoughtful and human.
The summary of this post is two-fold. One, don’t get in the way of your answered prayers and two, give.
For more, please read Moments of Joy.
Giving is a culture. It's not a function of how much money you have. Those that are stingy when they have thousands, will also do same when they have millions. Click To Tweet