The Contagiousness of Sharing

As you know, I'm a connoisseur of culinary delights. For that reason, I'm excited to report that I took my family to Taco Bell yesterday. Maybe it's nostalgia from my childhood (Cinnamon Twists were my first love), but I always get a little giddy when Taco Bell hits the daily itinerary.

Per usual, I ordered a bunch of food for our family to share (it's the best way to enjoy meals, in my weird and humble opinion). In any event, we ordered our food, and Sarah's sister's family ordered their own food. I ended up seated next to my niece Ruby. When their food came out, she was immediately struck with regret for forgetting to order Cinnamon Twists (amateur!). My reaction was swift and decisive. I grabbed my order of Cinnamon Twists, handed them to her, and said, "Here, you can have mine."

Shocked by the quick turn of events, a huge smile formed on her face, and she thanked me repeatedly. A few minutes later, still excited about the gifted treats, she turned to me and excitedly said, "You can have some of my nachos!" What a fun and generous gesture. I could tell it wasn't from a place of guilt, but rather from a sincere desire to bless me. How sweet!

Ruby may only be eight years old, but she just experienced something that's core to the human experience. Receiving generosity is a great feeling, but it's contagious. In turn, it often propels us to practice generosity ourselves, which is an even better feeling. In other words, generosity begets generosity. Sharing begets sharing.

The same thing is true the other way around. A lack of generosity begets a lack of generosity, and a lack of sharing begets a lack of sharing. Our culture has gone down the road of you-get-yours and I'll-get-mine. Why share with someone else? If they want something, they should work hard and go get it themselves. After all, I've worked hard for what I got. That's mine! They can worry about themselves. This mentality has resulted in our culture shifting away from sharing.

Call me weird, but everything in my life is on the table for sharing. All the food in our house, the vehicle I drive, the tools and technology I possess, and the money in my bank account. It's a counter-cultural way to live, but it's more fulfilling than you could ever imagine. Here's the best part. There's a palpable and immediate contagiousness that occurs in people when we openly share with them. Their immediate reaction is often surprise and hesitation (and sometimes refusal), but it shortly transforms into reciprocal generosity (to us and/or others).

Here's a question for you to ponder today. If we intentionally and proactively show generosity to others, what would the impact be? If it's as contagious as I'm suggesting, what are the ripple effects? How wide and deep does it spread? How many thousands of people can you ultimately serve through just a few small acts?

There's only one way to find out.