One of the contradictions of life is expressed
in Proverbs 11:24: “One person is lavish yet grows still richer; another is too
sparing, yet is the poorer.” How can it be that when we give to others, instead
of being depleted, we find that even more abundant blessings come to us?
Thomas Merton said, “…true
hope is trusting that what we have, where we are, and who we are is
more than enough for us as creatures of God.” If what we have is more than
enough for us, then when we give to others, we will still have enough. As Merton went on to say, “That’s the meaning of hope…to trust in the ultimate
goodness of creation.” We can give without fear that there won’t be
enough left for our own needs.
Nature provides us with countless examples of abundance—of how
to give freely without counting the cost. At the Mount our most recent example
of this generosity came in the form of buckets of cherries—more than 10 gallons
from a single tree! If our cherry tree could sing, it would likely warble, “Taste
and see the goodness of the Lord.” We have been doing just that, in the form of
cherry cookie bars, cherry jam, and cherry cobbler. Amen!
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