Complete the Cycle of Receiving and Giving
Monica English of Orem, UT, USA
Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. He will make your vindication shine like the light, and the justice of your cause like the noonday. -Psalm 37:5-6
When we allow God’s love to enter our hearts, we are transformed, and our transformation is shown through our own actions and interactions. As a young child, I was given a copy of Shel Silverstein’s beloved book, The Giving Tree. I pulled the book from my shelves many times. I remember the green cover with a whimsical drawing of a young boy reaching out to catch a red apple that the tree had leaned forward to drop into his waiting arms. I loved the quirky illustrations and the sweet story of a tree offering what she could to bring happiness to a boy she loved.
In this story, the boy grows from a child to an adolescent, to an adult, and finally a man in his final years. Throughout the story the tree gives selflessly to the boy: apples, shade, branches, and trunk. When the boy returns as an old man, the tree has nothing left to offer. When the old man says all he wants is a place rest, the Giving Tree invites the boy to sit on the stump. When the old man sits down, the book ends with the phrase “…and the tree was happy.”
Through the lens of a small child, this was a sweet, beautiful story. As the years have gone by, however, I have grown more and more uncomfortable with the message portrayed in The Giving Tree. It is the story of one who gives and gives and one who takes and takes. The boy does not respond to the tree’s generous giving with his own expression of reciprocal generosity. Instead he takes what is offered and leaves-only returning when he needs something once again. The boy is not transformed by what is given, only temporarily satisfied.
How often are we like this boy, coming to God when we are in need, receiving what is offered without responding generously in return? If we truly are disciples of Christ, that discipleship leads us to receive from God and also to give of what we have.
I have chosen to live out my discipleship in Community of Christ. In Community of Christ I feel the love of God and the love of community. Part of the way I express my gratitude is through living my life in a way that makes it possible to support the church through my time, energy, and financial giving. Giving back in these ways has become a spiritual practice, a sacred offering, an expression of love.
(Excerpt from Choose Generosity: Discovering Whole-Life Stewardship, 2019. Available from Herald House: https://www.heraldhouse.org/collections/disciples-generous-response/products/choose-generosity)
Prayer Phrase
Peace, be still (Mark 4:39).
Spiritual Practice
Inner Stillness
In the contemplative tradition, silent prayer is about cultivating a quality of inner stillness. You may visualize the story of Jesus calming the storm as a way of entering into this quality of prayer. Notice how churned up the waters of your soul are currently. As you breathe deeply, imagine a sacred stillness forming within you. What might it look like to engage all your relationships and daily tasks from this place of inner stillness? As you move through your day, notice when you feel stirred up and when you experience inner calm. Take note of patterns and themes. Invite all of your noticing into prayer as you continue to grow deeper in God as the source of your life and action.
Today’s Prayer for Peace
Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.
