Generosity cycle

 Damon trying to exercise like me. :)

Jace playing angry birds.  He's totally hooked.

A bit ago, I came across some information that sort of rocked my world.  It became apparent that I had been grossly misled (not a complaint about my parents here, it was more a local church thing really) with regard to pretty much all things intimate.  I'm not just referring to sex, but all aspects of the term.  As I chose to search for more info, I was shocked at how strikingly different the general authorities have spoken about these things, compared to those who drilled idiocy into us in mutual every Sunday.  I hold no bitterness toward them, I'm just not sure how else to say it. :)  No wonder I was such a mess. lol

Anyway, I've been learning all I can.  It's a welcome difference in our marriage and family as a whole.

As we work on the yard and the seemingly endless list of house projects, we are excited to see the change it's bringing in our lives.  Our boys are safe, they are healthier, (they've been infection free since we moved!!) we can work on moving forward to make life better for them, and goodness knows stress reduction makes a huge difference when trying to improve your circumstances!

In my research I came across the phrase generosity cycle.  It's been interesting to me to see how powerful this form of charity is, and compare it to the typical vicious cycles that are much more prevalent in our society today.  Jesus Christ is our best example of the power in generosity and the positive change cycle that it perpetuates.  Did He ever once stop to think if someone deserved His generosity before giving?  Giving holds much much less power when it's withheld based on perceptions of deserving or having earned it.  In fact in some cases it renders it useless and pointless.  Studying this has given me a whole new view of how to be with my boys and my husband.  I've always loved them unconditionally.  But I would be completely blind to my own sin to believe that I've shown that.  It's also given me renewed trust in my feelings regarding charity toward everyone else, including those I don't know.  And I'm grateful.