It was this firm belief in the power of compassion and selfless action that led him to launch Hargrave Ministries, a project which partners with credible outreach programs to bless the land and people of Israel through food box programs, preservation efforts, care initiatives, and other forms of support.
While the principle of giving has long been considered a key tenet to the Christian faith, it also offers intrinsic value to the individual. The following are just a few of the many long-lasting rewards of choosing to invest in others through charity initiatives.
Mental and Emotional Benefits
The unquestionable purpose of charity is to better the lives of others—however, a growing body of evidence suggests that the regular performance of selfless acts hold a plethora of mental and emotional benefits not just for the receiver, but for the giver as well. A study conducted by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute, for example, identifies a strong positive correlation between the percentage of household income dedicated to charity and overall life satisfaction. In other words, those who selflessly donate considerable percentages of their income to charitable causes are likely to report feeling content, happy, and fulfilled.
In a world where a tragedy occurs frequently and corruption seems unavoidable, Gary Hargrave highlights charitable donations as an empowering opportunity to deliver valuable contributions in areas where individuals may not otherwise have any control. Amidst turmoil and disaster, charitable opportunities such as those offered by Hargrave Ministries may deliver an escape from feelings of helplessness and hopelessness. This may, in turn, reduce anxiety and depression. Additionally, it is shown to decrease blood pressure, which may ultimately lengthen lifespan. Individuals also report feeling empowered after contributing to a cause, leading some to speculate that selfless contributions may serve to boost self-esteem, yielding a myriad of benefits in the giver’s day-to-day life.
Delivering Purpose and Meaning
Purpose informs everything about our lives. It determines our goals, offers directions, and guides us on our paths. Ultimately, it is the reason we get out of bed each morning—the drive that fuels our zest for life. Interestingly, it is community-minded values (not individualistic or self-serving goals) that provide the most meaningful, powerful sense of purpose.
Consciously and continually contributing to causes outside your own interest is one of the most effective ways to grow a vigorous sense of purpose and meaning. Doing so connects you to a cause or a community that is larger than yourself. In doubling your world and broadening your horizon, charitable opportunities also vastly expand a giver’s capacity for experiencing joy and compassion, thereby facilitating a more meaningful and fulfilling day-to-day existence.
Promoting Connection
We may live largely independent and unfortunately isolated lives in modern society, but humans are still social creatures at their core. Regarding the primary intrinsic value of giving, Gary Hargrave highlights its ability to unite and drive social connection, which holds significant benefits for the human spirit. Giving back through the donation of either time or money is a wonderful way to invest more fully in your community—whether that community is your neighborhood, your nation, a niche group of individuals with whom you share an identity or the world as a whole. Selfless donations also serve to better the lives of those around you, thereby cultivating tightly knit support systems that enrich the lives of all participants. In promoting a greater interconnectedness among community members, all participants benefit greatly—the giver included.
Collectively, these efforts can work to reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation which have become unfortunately commonplace in today’s world. In short, selfless action does not simply better the lives of less-fortunate individuals; it improves the quality and strength of a community’s foundation and very fabric.
Compassion: A Domino Effect
Gary Hargrave puts it simply: compassion is contagious. While it is easier to see the tangible primary impacts of a charitable contribution, it is impossible to determine that action’s extended positive influence. In many ways, giving functions as a chain reaction, offering no definite limit to potential benefits.
For example, when one person makes a selfless contribution to a worthy cause, it inspires others to do the same. The beauty of this phenomenon is that givers can never fully know the auxiliary impacts of their initial gift—there is no limit to the lives it could change or inspiration it could incite.
Similarly, kindness inspires kindness. If you have donated a portion of your income to a charitable program like Hargrave Ministries which passes it along to organizations such as Yad Eliezer, your contribution will be used to deliver food and essentials to Israel’s most impoverished families. However, alongside their tangible contributions, Yad Eliezer’s food boxes also restore hope, inspire kindness, and foster compassion among recipients, creating a ripple effect with no definite end. Put in perspective of the limitless nature of compassion, giving grants each of us the power to literally change our world through small actions and regular contributions.