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It’s an age-old problem: what do we do when we don’t have enough?
Whether it’s enough money, enough time, or enough energy, we always seem to feel that something in our lives is lacking. How we solve the problem depends on what we think about our world and ourselves. Some people simply go shopping, others go to war, and still others live without and just make do.
I saw a unique solution to the problem of not having enough as I was driving to work one day. Two boys about eight years old were locked arm in arm on the side of a city street. They shared a pair of in-line skates—one wearing the left skate and one wearing the right—and together they cruised along the sidewalk. It was quite a clever solution to the problem of having only one pair of skates between two boys!
That scene of childhood innocence and ingenuity illustrates the beauty of giving to others. It also brings to mind the fact that our usual perspective is often one of “me first.” For instance, when it seems as though we don’t even have the bare necessities ourselves, sharing what little we have with someone else is the last thing we think of doing.
Spiritually speaking, however, we know that when we give out of our own need, we get back so much more than we had to begin with. That’s a principle we can count on as long as we are giving according to God’s will and with a purity of intention. Those who give generously when they don’t have enough themselves are often “richer” than their most affluent neighbors.
The next time that you feel impoverished—whether materially, physically, or spiritually—try not to focus on what you don’t have but on giving what you do have to someone else in need. Then, in faith, stand ready to receive the goodness God has to give you in return.
Lord, help me to be generous in the midst of my own poverty.
Just for Today: I will keep my eyes open for someone in need, and give.
An excerpt from the book Refresh Me, Lord by Anne Costa