Trust begets Generosity.
I think it is very brave to be generous. I always admired people who had generous hearts and gave freely out of such a place of abundance and joy. So many times in my own life when I am given opportunities to be generous I can feel my heart clench up and want to protect myself because sometimes being generous can make me feel very uncomfortable. It makes me worry if there will be enough left for me. It makes me wonder what the person will do with the gift I gave them. Will they use the gift like I want them to?
Thank goodness for my Rethreaded community that has modeled generosity over and over again. By watching generous people in action, I have landed on some conclusions about generous people. Generous people are brave. Generous people trust. They trust something bigger than themselves. They trust that their actions or gifts will impact the world in the way it’s supposed to. They bravely push away any doubt or those questions that can make you feel so uncomfortable. They trust their ability to make a decision to do with their finances. They trust in their generosity. They pull on their bravery and they experience the joy of freely giving….and it changes the world. I have started to practice this same bravery and trust in my life mostly because of how it has been modeled to me through Rethreaded in both big ways and small ways.
First off, my staff has been generous with their grace and trust in me. They respect and follow me even when I forget a detail or am late to something or am not having the best day. They generously lavish grace on me and choose to trust me. I received this note on my desk the other day from an unknown staff person. “I truly admire your strength and courage. You and Rethreaded have impacted my life in so many ways already. Thanks for believing in me.” Their generosity and trust are changing me. It makes me believe in myself.
The survivors at Rethreaded are so generous with the women coming behind them. The women who have been at Rethreaded longer choose to slow down and encourage other women on their first day. They are generous with encouragement when a woman hits a rough spot. They are generous with all their resources to make sure that the women around them have what they need. They bravely face their trauma and heal, so they can generously give to the woman who has yet to reach Rethreaded. I admire our Assistant Management of Business Development who generously pours out her life in tangible ways by opening up her home, attending meetings, visiting people in rehab, and never giving up on her friends. She trusts in her generosity and it’s changing the lives of her friends.
The generosity of our supporters at Rethreaded has expanded my heart. I have witnessed the greatest acts of generosity that sustain Rethreaded today. I have witnessed over and over again people trusting in us..generously. From my nieces and nephews giving Rethreaded half the money they raised at their lemonade stand to Rethreaded instead of putting in their Disney fund.
To when Riverside homes literally almost made me fall over with their generosity when they agreed to match $30,000 at our 2019 Birthday party. There are the monthly donors, the holiday shoppers, the board members, and everything in between. Generosity has built Rethreaded. The Generosity of our supporters is changing lives.
As I look in my own heart, I can draw on the bravery of others to extend more generosity. I can learn to trust that what I give to the world has an amazing impact. I can be brave and give until it hurts a bit because I know that generosity will change lives. On this giving Tuesday I hope that you can be brave and choose generosity. That you can choose to trust and give and experience lives being changed. I hope that you can experience this in big and small ways.
If you would like to give generously to Rethreaded and help us along the way here is the link to donate.
About Kristin Keen
Kristin lived for five years in Kolkata, India where she co-founded, Sari Bari, a thriving business that gives survivors of human trafficking a way out of exploitation through employment. Sari Bari now employs more than 100 women. Upon her return to
Jacksonville, Kristin started forming relationships with women on the street. She found that the problem of human trafficking was flourishing in her own city and in 2012 she founded Rethreaded. Rethreaded is a safe, supportive work environment where women can start a new career while experiencing continued healing through community. When not at Rethreaded, Kristin is biking or swimming in the ocean at sunrise.
