Are you generous?

The Blue, Butcher Block Island

       The question, ‘Are you a generous person?’, can almost be offensive to some people. Usually our first reaction is, ‘Of course!’. But I think for many of us, especially in today’s ‘me’ centered world, generosity does not come easily. We know we should give, but our long to do list and stress of saving enough to retire early leaves us with anxiety when we think about giving.  Now making time for yourself and saving money is important, but are you sharing your, or rather, God’s time, money, words and energy with others?
   My sister, Daniella, just moved into my grandfather’s 1920’s house. It is a beautiful house but needs a lot of work and I will have future blog posts about it. For now, she made a really sweet and beautiful studio apartment in about 700 sq ft of the downstairs. She worked hard to make a cozy space for herself before she had to go back to school and face the fear of spreading COVID to our parents and grandparents. 

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​           One of her projects was to create a kitchen island using one of the dressers that was passed down to her from our great aunt and uncle. She chose the fun blue color as an accent in her space. She sanded the dresser down, cleaned it, primed it, and painted. To go with her farm, boho style, she distressed the corners a bit and put her Champaign metal hardware on it. 
            Although the dresser was totally cute, it didn’t leave much space for working. I knew my one coworker, Andy, likes to work with wood and makes cutting boards for gifts. I told him about my sister’s project and that I was thinking of tackling the tall task of making a butcher block for her. He was very interested and offered his help. In fact, he offered to do the whole thing and taught me along the way! My other coworker, Randy, picked up wood from a nearby counter manufacturer and offered to help cut to make the butcher block. 
            This sounds easy but this was a pretty involved project! The wood slices had to be all the same size and the counter top needed to be a bit bigger so there was an overhang for stool seating. We ended up making it an end grain butcher block. And there was a ton of glue used! My sister and I were filled with joy to think that my coworkers were so willing to tackle this project with us. 

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​          In Matthew 5:42, Jesus says, “Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” My coworkers generous gift of time to do this project, without me even really asking, shined Jesus light upon us. My sister and I felt so blessed as we attached the butcher block to the dresser and had the satisfaction of seeing her vision complete. Their generosity made us appreciate Andy’s hard work and Randy’s help.  
          My sister helped me so much when I was remodeling my house and I was happy to help make her kitchen island. I am excited to help her remodel the whole upstairs of the house. In Luke 6:38, Jesus says, “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full-pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back”. If we share time and money with our friends, family, co-workers, or even strangers, God is going to bless us until we are overflowing with his love, joy, and peace. 
           Think of generosity, just like anything else, as a journey. You can start with giving of your tithes and extra offerings. Then, volunteer more time to help those who need help around you. But have you ever thought about really giving your whole reputation or your whole life over to God? In everything you do, do it for the glory of God, and everyone around you will see you as a light in this world. I will close with Matthew 5:15-16, “No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.”

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