You call me generous, but I don’t always believe it. My generosity is
fueled by my knowledge of my own selfishness. I know it sounds odd, but it’s
true: I am generous because I know I am a selfish person.
There are people in my life whose generosity amazes me & shames me.
For I know I am selfish, stingy, and otherwise self-seeking. Their willingness
to share astounds me & challenges me to do better.
Yet when we are trying to carpool somewhere, I am unwilling to give up my
seat to you, if we all must go, for I know I’d be rearranging, not solving, the
problem.
I hoard to guard against the possibilities in the unknown future, yet I
am shamed by verses talking of radical generosity (for instance instructions to give away one coat if you have two).
The reason I am generous is because I know that I am selfish by nature.
I know that left to my own devices, I will have more than enough & others
won’t have enough. So I intentionally live generously. I share what I have, but
don’t use often. I give what I have, but don’t use. I open the doors, to my
house & to my cupboard, to be intentionally generous, to act against my
selfishness.
I know I am selfish, and so I am generous.
No comments:
Post a Comment