Stinginess Is Bad for Your Health

Proverbs 23:7“He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he’ll say, ‘Eat! Drink!’ but won’t mean a word of it.” (MSG)Have you ever eaten at somebody’s house and realized halfway through the plate…they don’t really want you eating up their food?They said, “Make yourself at home,” but their face said, “Some of that chicken better still be here when you leave.”Every bite secretly watched. Every refill faithfully audited. You’re chewing—and somehow feeling like you owe them money.Then Proverbs 23:7 in The Message pulls the host’s mask off:“He’ll be as stingy with you as he is with himself; he’ll say, ‘Eat! Drink!’ but won’t mean a word of it.” (MSG)Whew. That’s the part that got me. The host is stingy with his guest because he’s already been stingy with himself.The stingy person isn’t only withholding from the guest. He’s withholding from himself. He has practiced living so tight for so long that tightness has become his whole relationship with abundance.He’s tight with money, sure. But after a while, he gets tight with joy. Rest. Trust. Affection. Growth. Even the permission to enjoy what God already put in his hands.The guest discovers the welcome is fake and loses his appetite. But the host has been living inside that clenched posture every day, so he doesn’t even see how rude he comes across.Stinginess does something to you.Modern research keeps finding that generosity can affect the giver, too. One study found that giving support to others actually quieted part of the body’s fight-or-flight response. Openhandedness doesn’t only feed the person across the table. In a real way, it feeds you.Now, this isn’t permission to ignore boundaries, give away the rent or let people drain you dry. Generosity is not self-erasure.It’s refusing to let fear train your soul to clench around everything.Because a closed fist may protect what it holds—but it can’t receive anything new.Maybe your stinginess isn’t about money. Maybe you ration compliments. Apologies. Rest. Help. Affection. Maybe you keep talking yourself out of the next level because growth would require surrender.The greatest thing a stingy person withholds isn’t money.It’s possibility.🔥 REMEMBERWhatever you refuse to release can eventually restrict you.🙏🏽 PRAYERGod, loosen my grip and teach my soul openhanded trust.🎯 TODAY’S CHALLENGEIdentify one thing you’ve been rationing—money, praise, time, help, affection or rest. Release the restriction: give some of it away today. And when something good comes back, receive it without guilt.About the AuthorFred Lynch is a creative communicator, author, and Christian Hip Hop pioneer. To learn more about Fred and what he’s up to now…click here or you can find him in all the socials by searching the handle: heyfredlynch📱 Experience Proverbs Daily by Subscribing!Ready to receive daily wisdom directly on your phone?Go to proverbsdaily.org for the app or just click that Subscribe button right now! Get full access to Hey Fred Lynch! at heyfredlynch.substack.com/subscribe