Characteristics of a Cheerful Giver: 4 Ways to Shift Your Attitude
Welcome to another sneak peek into our mother-daughter devotional book, Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls. Today’s devotion explores shifting from grumpiness to joy as we aim to be cheerful givers. We’ll also talk about the characteristics of a cheerful giver.
This is written for teen girls, but I have a hunch most of us, regardless of age, can relate. Be sure to read to the bottom of today’s post for a free devotional eBook to help you draw near to God for a transformed heart.
Characteristics of a Cheerful Giver
Then the people rejoiced because they had offered so willingly, for they made their offering to the Lord wholeheartedly, and King David also rejoiced greatly.
1 Chronicles 29:9
I wasn’t feeling well the other day, and I overheard my husband as he encouraged our son to check on me.
“Mom, can I get you anything?” four-year-old Aiden asked a few minutes later as I rested on the couch. He smiled at me warmly and gave me a big hug. I could tell that he was happy to help me, and my heart overflowed with gratitude.
Imagine how different this scene might have looked if Aiden had listened to his dad’s advice but approached me with a grumpy attitude. It would have been clear that he didn’t want to help me, and my feelings would have been hurt.
It’s easy for us to forget that God also has feelings. When we’re sullen about giving to others—whether we’re giving our time, energy, or money—our grouchiness hurts God’s heart.
Do you ever stomp around your house when your parents ask you to help with a chore like taking out the garbage, doing the laundry, or washing the dishes? Maybe they force you to shovel your elderly neighbor’s snowy sidewalk, help a grandparent with yardwork, or watch your younger siblings.
You might feel tempted to be cranky when you’re not in the mood to give to others. In these times, remind yourself that God loves a cheerful giver (2 Corinthians 9:7).
Today’s Focus Verse describes the way God’s people willingly contributed toward the construction of God’s temple. They freely gave their time, energy, and financial resources to help with the process. As a result, the Lord was pleased.
We all face situations in which we don’t feel joyful about the work set before us. In these situations, we can pray, “Lord, change my heart. Help me to be a joyful giver instead of a grumpy giver.” Nobody enjoys being served by a grumpy giver, not even God.
Teen’s Reflection
What is your least favorite daily task? Maybe you don’t like a chore your parents have assigned to you. Perhaps you don’t enjoy your job, or you might have an especially unreasonable teacher or coach. Write about the part of your life that is most difficult to approach with a positive attitude. What would it look like to undertake this task with more gratitude and less grumbling?
Mom’s Reflection
We all face everyday tasks that are unpleasant. Share what God has taught you about giving thanks or having a positive attitude instead of grumbling as you undertake your most unpleasant daily tasks.
More Reflections on the Characteristics of a Cheerful Giver:
The following section is not in the book, but this list can help us identify whether we are cheerful or grumpy givers.
Characteristics of a Cheerful Giver
1. Cheerful givers serve others without great expectations.
It’s not wrong to expect others to thank us or show appreciation for our efforts. Yet we can sometimes become bitter when appreciation isn’t expressed.
I try to resist this by reminding myself that some people do not have the awareness or capacity to express appreciation. (I also remind myself of the truth in #3 below.)
2. Cheerful givers reject self-focus and self-pity.
It’s easy to see what others contribute and decide we’re giving more than anyone else. When this happens, self-focus can easily lead to self-pity.
In these moments, I try to shift my focus and reject any sense of self-pity. Self-pity can easily turn to resentment and even bitterness.
3. Cheerful givers remember the One they are truly serving.
Years ago, God began working in my heart as I undertook the many thankless and unseen tasks that go with being the mother of young children. (Read about my journey here.)
He led me to imagine I was serving Jesus as I tended to crying babies in the night, answered thousands of questions from eager toddlers, and cleaned up the never-ending messes.
I have not arrived in this area. Nevertheless, it always helps to remind myself that I am directly serving Jesus when I serve others.
4. Cheerful givers know how to set boundaries.
Last, it’s important to realize that one of the most necessary characteristics of a cheerful giver is the ability to set boundaries.
Cheerful giving does not include letting others walk all over us or cross boundaries involving our time, energy, and other resources. In fact, if we want to give cheerfully, learning to discern our roles and learning to say no are important parts of the journey.
I’ve found that when I seek God in making these decisions, he guides me.
Calling All Parents and Grandparents!
As the parent of two sons and a daughter, I have a heart for helping parents develop deeper relationships with their children and with God. Our kids, ages 7, 12, and 16, share this vision. They have helped me write three family devotionals for parents or older relatives to read with the children and teens they love. I also recently released a teen devotional called Anchored, designed to help teens learn key biblical narratives and apply them to their lives. You can find these books here or read more below. 
Mother-Daughter Devotionals by a Mom and Daughter
Girl to Girl: 60 Mother-Daughter Devotions for a Closer Relationship and Deeper Faith is written for girls ages 7-12. It includes 60 devotions with Scripture, conversation starters, and a shared journaling section for moms and daughters after each devotion. I wrote this book with the help of our daughter, Bekah, when she was eleven. Find this one-of-a-kind shared devotional here.
Heart to Heart: A Mother-Daughter Devotional With 50 Devotions for Teen Girls is for teenage girls ages 13-20. It includes 50 devotions, each with a shared journaling section to help moms and daughters connect through writing. This is a great book for moms who want to communicate about awkward topics—like dating, sexuality, peer pressure, and more—but don’t know where to start. Bekah and I will help you right here.
Devotions for Boys by Boys
God’s Warrior: Devotions for Boys Who Want to Grow in Courage and Strength helps young boys, ages 5-13, learn what it means to trust God and become strong warriors for his kingdom. Now, more than ever, our world needs men who are willing to boldly carry God’s love into the world. I wrote this boys’ devotional book with our two young sons, Aiden and Caleb, ages six and eleven! You’ll enjoy their honesty as we teach boys how to be strong warriors for the Lord. Find this life-changing devotional book here.
These Books Are Free on Kindle Unlimited: God Wants to Heal, Restore, and Refresh You
God wants to work in your life to accomplish what you’ve been unable to do through willpower alone. He also wants to help you establish a rhythm of meeting with him daily as you trust him with the hard parts of your life. Click here to explore two books that will guide you: Be Still and Trust and Lean Into Grace. They are free on the Kindle Unlimited program and for sale in print.
Download Your Free Devotional Here
Set Free: Let God Do What You Cannot explores ten realms in which most of us need God to work in our lives and bring deliverance. We’ll talk about finding freedom from fear, worry, insecurity, bad habits, emotional pain, and more. This short online devotional will bless you as you let God accomplish what you’ve been unable to achieve through willpower. Get your download for free with promo code GRACE or for a donation of 3.99 here. Thank you. This small gift helps keep this ministry running.
I also offer a library of free online devotional eBooks for free. I invite you to explore the collection right here!
