Pursuing Generosity
Freezing rain pelted the windows as early morning light struggled to make its appearance. School closings found Elisabeth grinning with anticipation. As I made breakfast, I noticed her rummaging through my cupboards. A few cans of vegetables and a box of crackers soon found their way into the corner. “Do you have plastic silverware, Mom?” she asked.
I gave her my full attention. “What are you up to?”
“I’m collecting things for the rescue mission. What else can we give?”
I found the plastic ware to add to her give-away pile. Her face glowed with satisfaction.
I loved it when the two of us teamed up to meet a need. But this morning, the irony of her agenda struck me. Just the afternoon before, my husband called with unsettling news. After twenty-one years of working for the same employer, he was laid off.
My mind swirled as I grappled with the implications of a soon-to-end job and an unknown future. What about health insurance? And tuition? And...
In the eye of the storm, my daughter’s kindness and compassion captured my heart. I began to connect Paul’s letter to the Philippians to our present situation. The believers in Philippi gave to meet Paul’s needs. I wondered if some of the children followed their parents around asking what they could send to the traveling preacher, now in prison for proclaiming Christ. Perhaps a blanket their mother wove, some grain from the family field, or a pair of sandals from the market. Did they sit up straighter in church when Epaphroditus stood up to share a thank-you letter from the apostle?
Paul described the efforts of these folks as “well pleasing to God.” Just as the believers contributed to Paul’s needs, so God would supply all their need.
As the tea kettle hummed on the stove, I determined one thing. Job or no job, I didn’t want our family to neglect the needs of others. We would use our resources wisely, knowing we have God’s promise that He will supply our necessities as we practice generosity.
Though I declined Elisabeth’s suggestion to donate our living room furniture, I did slip some bills into her hand to purchase a few more items on her list.
What a treasure to trust God’s promise to supply all our needs “according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.”
Won’t you trust him? Sarah Lynn Phillips and her husband Barry live in northeastern Pennsylvania and have been married for thirty years. They have three daughters. Sarah is a freelance writer and the editor of The Women’s LINK, a seasonal newsletter for the women in her church and community. She enjoys homemaking, reading, and quilting.