The Gift You're Sitting On

The Promise You Made When You Meant It

Let me tell you a story you already know.

Not because you've heard it before, but because you've lived it.

You were excited. You said yes.

Maybe you pledged your time, offered support, made a commitment that felt righteous and important. You didn't just mean it. You felt it. Your intentions were pure. You were eager to give.

But then life happened.

Distractions crept in. Urgency faded. You put it off until "later," thinking the right time would magically show up.

Meanwhile, someone was waiting for your faithfulness. And the opportunity God placed in front of you began to wither.

Welcome to Corinth.

In 2 Corinthians 9, Paul writes to a church that promised to support struggling believers in Jerusalem. They made a bold commitment. Their eagerness inspired others. But a year passed, and their follow-through fizzled.

Paul's message? Don't delay what you know is right. And when you finally do it, don't do it out of guilt. Do it with joy.

"Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver." (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Let's unpack what this means for how you lead, how you work, and how you show up.

When Good Intentions Hit the Calendar

Here's where the Corinthians' story gets uncomfortable:

They had the best intentions. They genuinely wanted to help. But somewhere between the pledge and the execution, their commitment got buried under everything else that felt urgent.

Sound familiar?

You told your team member you'd mentor them. Six months later, you still haven't scheduled the first meeting.

You committed to connecting that job seeker with someone in your network. The introduction email is still sitting in your drafts.

You said you'd sponsor that nonprofit initiative. But when the invoice came, you kept finding reasons to wait another quarter.

You promised to have that hard conversation with your business partner. It's been eight months. The tension is calcifying.

You told your kid you'd coach their team this season. But work got crazy, and you bowed out at the last minute.

The intention was real. The follow-through? Delayed, diminished, or disappeared entirely.

Paul calls this what it is: you decided in your heart, but your hands never moved.

Reluctant vs. Cheerful: The Difference Everyone Feels

Let's dig into the Greek for a moment because it matters.

The word for "cheerful" is hilaros. Yes, that's where we get "hilarious." Not because giving is a joke, but because God wants it to be joyful, free-flowing, almost exuberant.

Here's what reluctant giving looks like in real life:

You finally write the check, but you resent it. You give the time, but you're checking your watch. You offer the help, but you make sure everyone knows how inconvenient it was.

You mentor, but you make it clear you're doing them a favor. You donate, but you want your name on the plaque. You serve, but you keep a mental ledger of who owes you.

Here's what cheerful giving looks like:

You share your best idea in a meeting, knowing someone else might run with it and get the credit, and you're genuinely glad they did.

You carve out time to help a struggling team member, not because HR asked you to, but because you actually want to see them succeed.

You write the check and feel grateful you get to participate, not bitter that you had to give something up.

You give your expertise freely, not worrying about whether people will still pay you if they learn too much.

The difference isn't just how it feels to you. It's how it lands on the people receiving it.

Reluctant generosity leaves people feeling like a burden. Cheerful generosity makes them feel seen, valued, like they matter.

One shrinks the relationship. The other expands it.

The Scarcity Lie That Keeps You Small

Most reluctance to give isn't about resources. It's about fear.

"If I give too much away, I won't have enough left for myself."

"If I share my best ideas, what will be mine?"

"If I help them succeed, who will help me?"

"If I invest time in someone else's growth, what about my own goals?"

This is scarcity thinking, and it's everywhere.

The consultant who won't share their framework because it's their "secret sauce." (Meanwhile, their impact stays small because no one can replicate their success.)

The leader who hoards information to maintain control. (Meanwhile, their team can't make good decisions because they're operating in the dark.)

The entrepreneur who won't collaborate because they see everyone as competition. (Meanwhile, they miss partnerships that could have multiplied their reach.)

The executive who won't mentor emerging leaders because they're threatened by talent. (Meanwhile, the organization stagnates because there's no bench strength.)

Scarcity thinking turns you into a gatekeeper instead of a gardener.

It shrinks your world. It hardens your heart. It makes you smaller.

But here's what Paul says in verse 8: "God is able to bless you abundantly... so that in all things at all times... you will abound in every good work."

Translation: You can't outgive God.

The math doesn't work the way scarcity tells you it does. When you give freely, the supply doesn't run out. It multiplies.

What Happens When You Hold the Seed

Jesus told a story about seeds. Some fell on rocky ground. Some got choked by thorns. But the ones planted in good soil? They produced a crop, thirty, sixty, even a hundred times what was sown.

Here's the business application:

If you plant your knowledge, it grows in someone else and comes back to you in unexpected ways.

If you plant your time in mentoring, you build leaders who multiply your impact far beyond what you could do alone.

If you plant your resources in someone else's vision, you participate in something bigger than your own empire.

But if you keep that seed locked in your fist? It just sits there. Dormant. Wasted. Alone.

This isn't just theory. I've watched this play out:

The marketing leader who freely taught their strategy became the go-to expert everyone wanted to hire.

The founder who gave away their playbook built a community that became their biggest source of referrals.

The executive who invested in developing others became known as the leader everyone wanted to work for.

Meanwhile, the ones who hoarded? They plateaued. Their influence stayed small. Their teams stayed weak. Their impact stayed limited.

Generosity isn't just a moral virtue. It's your growth strategy.

When God Says Move and You Say "Later"

Here's the part that makes this personal instead of theoretical:

Delayed obedience is disobedience.

Not because God's a taskmaster keeping score. But because delayed generosity means someone else is left waiting.

Waiting for the encouragement you promised.

Waiting for the introduction you said you'd make.

Waiting for the feedback that could help them grow.

Waiting for the support you committed to.

And every day you delay, the opportunity shrinks. The moment passes. The need becomes more urgent. The relationship gets harder to repair.

Paul's point to the Corinthians wasn't just about the money. It was about what delay communicates:

"I don't trust that giving will come back to me."

"Other things matter more than my word."

"I'll move when I feel like it."

But here's the truth: if God's asking you to give something, He's already provided enough for you to give it.

You don't need perfect timing. You don't need more resources. You don't need to feel 100% ready.

You just need to move.

What This Looks Like Monday Morning

Stop waiting for conditions to be perfect.

That team member who needs mentoring? Put 30 minutes on the calendar this week. Not next quarter. This week.

That introduction you promised to make? Write the email today. Two paragraphs. Hit send.

That financial commitment you've been delaying? Set up the transfer. Automate it if you need to. But stop letting it sit in your mental queue.

That hard conversation you've been avoiding? Schedule it. This is generosity too, giving someone the clarity they need instead of leaving them in limbo.

That idea you've been hoarding? Share it in your next team meeting. Give it away. See what happens when you stop protecting and start planting.

That time you committed to your family? Block it on your calendar like it's a board meeting. Because it is.

This isn't about being reckless. It's about being obedient.

And it's about choosing to give the way God gives: freely, joyfully, without second-guessing.

The One Thing You Need to Remember

Romans 8:32 says, "He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?"

God didn't give out of obligation. He gave out of love.

His giving was sacrificial, but it wasn't reluctant. It was purposeful, decisive, complete.

That's your model.

Not transactional giving that keeps score. Not reluctant giving that builds resentment. Not delayed giving that breaks trust.

Cheerful, immediate, generous giving that reflects whose you are.

Because you never look more like your Father than when you give freely.

A Prayer for Leaders Who Keep Delaying

Father,

I'm tired of the gap between what I promise and what I deliver.

I mean well. I really do. But somewhere between the intention and the execution, I let everything else crowd out what You asked me to do.

I confess the times I've hesitated. When fear told me I didn't have enough. When pride told me to protect what's mine. When fatigue made me choose convenience over faithfulness.

And I confess what that delay cost. The people who kept waiting. The opportunities that withered. The trust I damaged because my word didn't hold.

Teach me to give the way You give. Freely. Joyfully. Without second-guessing or keeping score.

In my work, help me lead with open hands. In my relationships, help me love without delay. Show me the places where I'm still holding back, still protecting, still calculating.

Give me holy urgency. Not anxiety, but clarity. Help me see the people waiting for my obedience. And when the moment to give comes, help me say yes. Not tomorrow. Not later. Now.

Let my generosity be evidence of Your work in me, not my résumé.

In Jesus' name,

Amen.

Reflection and Journal Questions

Don't rush these. They're designed to expose what needs to change.

1. What's one specific commitment you made in good faith that you still haven't followed through on? Write the person's name and what you promised. How long have they been waiting? What's it costing them for you to delay?

2. Think about the last time you gave something (time, money, expertise, help). Was it cheerful or reluctant? Be honest. What did the person on the receiving end likely feel? What does that reveal about what's actually in your heart?

3. Where are you currently operating from scarcity thinking in your work or leadership? What are you hoarding (information, opportunities, credit, resources) because you're afraid there won't be enough? What would it look like to give that away freely?

4. A team member asks you to review their work, but you're slammed. Write two responses: one from reluctant obligation, one from cheerful generosity. Which one is closer to what you'd actually say? What would need to change in your heart for the second response to be natural?

5. What idea, connection, or resource has God been nudging you to give away, but you keep finding reasons to delay? Be specific. What's the real reason you're waiting? What would happen if you gave it this week?

6. If someone reviewed how you actually spend your time and money over the last 90 days, would they say you're generous or guarded? Not based on your intentions. Based on your actions. What would need to change for that assessment to change?

7. Who is waiting right now for something you promised them? Write their name. Write what you promised. Then write the specific action you'll take in the next 48 hours to follow through. Put it on your calendar before you finish this reflection.

Take a breath. Listen for the nudge.

And when God says move, move with joy.