Refill with Randy – This month commit to being more generous with time and resources

By Randy LeBaron

Good morning! Grab your favorite cup. Fill it up. And let’s start this week right… TOGETHER!!!

I am writing this on the last day of October, Halloween, but instead of focusing on ghosts and ghouls my mind is already looking ahead to November, a month marked by gratitude and generosity.

I had planned to write an article about what it means to be generous and remind you of some opportunities to practice generosity, such as helping out on the Hands 4 Hope Street Ministry Truck, helping serve others at the Koinonia Kitchen, or supporting one of our many local missions or organizations like: Care-Net, Hospice  of Orleans, GOMAC, Community Action, etc., but when I started to write what actually came out was this poem. I hope it will give you pause and inspire you to practice true generosity in the days ahead!

Being generous of heart means more than just being kind. It means much more than the giving of our money, effort, or even our time.

Though each one of these does play a part I dare say, generosity is truly measured by what we do for others each day.

It is a lifestyle of gratitude of giving to others as we have received, not only when it’s convenient but whenever someone has a need.

To be generous without sacrifice though is to not be generous at all. For when we give only out of abundance our thinking is too small.

Like the rich, Jesus spoke of who shared a little of their wealth as a tithe, compared to the poor widow seated beside them who gave the last two coins she had to survive.

Sacrifice alone though does not a generous person make, if the gift comes with strings attached we give only so that one day we can take.

By giving without expectation we will come closer by far, and treating others the way we wish to be treated will help us set the bar.

The key to generosity is not in keeping score. It is not about meeting a quota, about giving this much and no more.

It is about humility, and compassion, thinking of others and not just yourself. It is about graciously feeding the hungry stranger that last can of soup upon your shelf.

It is making time for others in the midst of a busy day. It is leaving a considerable tip rather than complaining how much you have to pay.

It is giving someone your umbrella even though you may get wet. It is paying for someone’s lunch when you know that they’re in debt.

Being generous is a way of life, seeing and acting from a particular point of view. It is a series of daily decisions that starts with me and it starts with you.

See you in 2 weeks!

Pastor Randy