Several years ago, I had the privilege of traveling to the deep interior of Mexico for an immersion experience. We spent several days with the people of the Metodista El Salvador, a mission church in El Higueron sharing food and fellowship, learning conversational Spanish, mixing concrete by hand, and pouring floors for a parsonage and a classroom. On the last day in El Higueron, we sat outside around the dining table, a table that had become a communion table many times during our stay as we listened to one another's stories, and shared our final meal together. During the meal, one of us commented on the simple, yet beautiful terra cotta pottery that our hostess used to serve us. She promptly went to her kitchen, pulled seven pieces of pottery out of the cupboard and presented them as gifts to us. It was humbling to hold her gift in my hands, and I was moved to tears by her generous spirit. This woman, who by worldly standards had so little, emptied her cupboards to share what she had with us.
Her example continues to challenge me. I can't say that I have ever sent any plates or serving bowls home with dinner guests. Her generosity forces me to admit that I cling tightly to so many things, often because I am afraid. It makes me want to loosen my grip and let go of those things so that what I have can bless others. And, mostly, it unsettles me to think that an abundance of resources does not necessarily lead to generosity, and that a generous spirit cannot be quenched by scarce resources! Is it typically the case that the more we have, the less we are willing to put what we have at risk? (Or is it just me?)
What would God do with us and through us if we loosened our grip on the blessings we have received--our gifts and graces, our buildings and bank accounts, our love and our lives--and offered them to God in order that others might be blessed? What if we discovered how to love and give of ourselves with reckless abandon? Maybe, just maybe, we would know what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ!
Her example continues to challenge me. I can't say that I have ever sent any plates or serving bowls home with dinner guests. Her generosity forces me to admit that I cling tightly to so many things, often because I am afraid. It makes me want to loosen my grip and let go of those things so that what I have can bless others. And, mostly, it unsettles me to think that an abundance of resources does not necessarily lead to generosity, and that a generous spirit cannot be quenched by scarce resources! Is it typically the case that the more we have, the less we are willing to put what we have at risk? (Or is it just me?)
What would God do with us and through us if we loosened our grip on the blessings we have received--our gifts and graces, our buildings and bank accounts, our love and our lives--and offered them to God in order that others might be blessed? What if we discovered how to love and give of ourselves with reckless abandon? Maybe, just maybe, we would know what it means to be the Church of Jesus Christ!
Oh, does this motivate me to want to change--to become that simple person who, if someone admires what I have, I joyfully give it to them--and am thankful for the opportunity! Thank you for the inspiration!
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