Does Your Giving Have Permission to Change? 

Faithful generosity doesn't have to look exactly the same in every season. 

By Ryan Klund 

“It's all good.” 

I have to admit, that was not the answer I expected. 

I'll call the couple David and Susan. I had known of them for many years. In our part of Wisconsin, they have long been known as titans of generosity. 

Their giving story began several decades ago after the sale of a business. What followed was an adventure in generosity as God led them to establish a private foundation and begin giving significantly to ministries throughout Southeast Wisconsin. 

Over the years, their impact has been both wide and deep. They have supported dozens of ministries, with particular passions for adoption, strengthening marriages, training pastors and sharing the Gospel. 

I had known their reputation and their giving story for years, and through our work we had relationships with both David and Susan. But recently, I had the opportunity for something different. For the first time, I sat down one-on-one with Susan for an Annual Giving Review to talk specifically about her giving goals, the things she cares about and where God might be leading her generosity. 

My posture going into that conversation was pretty simple: 

What can I learn from her? 

When you sit across from someone who has spent decades seeking to faithfully give away what God has entrusted to her, you pay attention. 

But this season of David and Susan's story looks very different from the earlier years. 

David is living with dementia, and as the disease has progressed, his world has understandably become smaller. 

His giving has become smaller in scope too. 

Today, he is particularly focused on one organization, an organization that serves him personally. It's right in front of him. He knows it. He experiences its impact. And when he thinks about giving, that's where he wants to give. 

During our conversation, I asked Susan what that change was like for her. 

After decades of giving broadly and strategically, supporting ministries across the region and investing in so many different areas of Kingdom work, what was it like to see David's giving become focused almost entirely on one thing? 

I thought I knew what she might say. 

Maybe it was sad. 

Maybe she missed the conversations they used to have about generosity. 

Maybe this season felt somehow smaller than the one they had shared before. 

Instead, she said: 

“It's all good.” 

Her answer caught me off guard. 

If this is where David wants to give in this season, she is grateful for it. 

At the same time, God has placed other passions on Susan's heart, and she is comfortable allowing her own giving to reflect those things. She doesn't know exactly what their generosity will look like in the years ahead. 

And she doesn't need to. 

She can honor where David is today, follow where God is leading her, and trust Him with whatever comes next. 

Does Our Giving Have Permission to Change? 

I've thought about that conversation quite a bit since then. 

Sometimes we can begin to think about generosity primarily in terms of the impact our giving accomplishes. 

What organizations should we support? Where can our dollars have the greatest impact? How can we develop a thoughtful giving strategy? 

Those are good questions. I spend a lot of my time helping people think through them. 

But Susan's response reminded me of something deeper. 

God doesn't need our money to accomplish His mission. 

He invites us into generosity because He wants our hearts. 

Giving is not simply something God wants to accomplish through us. It is one of the ways He works in us. 

Maybe that's why our generosity shouldn't necessarily look the same throughout our entire lives. 

God has placed each of us here, in this particular time, with our particular experiences, relationships, resources and opportunities. 

The story of Esther comes to mind. Mordecai asks her, “And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther 4:14). 

What if we approached generosity with some of that same awareness? 

We can certainly honor the causes and ministries that have mattered to us for years. Long-term faithfulness is a beautiful thing. 

But we can also keep asking: 

Where is God leading me now? 

What is He placing in front of me? 

What would faithfulness look like in this season? 

Our giving may change because our circumstances change. Our passions may change because God has used the experiences of our lives to shape us. Sometimes the need right in front of us may be the very thing God is asking us to notice. 

About the Author 

Ryan Klund serves as a Relationship Manager with National Christian Foundation Wisconsin, where he walks alongside generous Christian individuals and families as they seek to steward what God has entrusted to them with wisdom and faith. Through conversations about generosity, charitable planning and giving strategies, Ryan helps families think not only about how they give, but how God may use generosity to shape their hearts and draw them closer to Him.