God’s Generosity
Barbara Carter, Council of Twelve Apostles
Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous? -Matthew 20:15
In the early summer of my twelfth year, I picked strawberries in the fields. It was not an easy job. It required catching a bus at 5:00 a.m. and riding it for 50 minutes, away from the coast into the valley, so we could start picking at 6:00 a.m.
Riding the bus was free if you followed two rules. The first rule was you had to pick 10 flats of strawberries before the bus left at 2:00 p.m. The second rule was you had to pick clean, which meant you had to pick all the ripe berries on the plants, not just the big berries that filled your baskets quickly.
There were times when it was a challenge to fill the baskets. Sometimes my fellow bus riders would have a hard time filling up 10 flats, so I would dump a basket or two of strawberries into their flats to help them meet the requirement. Others in the field didn’t like me doing that because they didn’t think it was fair. I did not see this as a fairness issue. Helping another person did not mean others were at risk of not riding the bus. There were enough strawberries to fill everyone’s baskets.
God’s generosity is much like this. Generosity is not a limited commodity; there is plenty to go around.
Prayer Phrase
“…all things in God and God in all things” (Mechthild of Magdeburg).
Spiritual Practice
Reflecting on Presence
Breathe deeply and become present to the Presence with you here and now. Take a few moments in the silence to reflect prayerfully on the following questions:
Where have you been aware of God’s presence in your life?
What is God’s invitation to you in this story?
How do you desire to be more open to God’s presence and invitation tomorrow?
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.
