But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 1 Timothy 6:6-8
“A man must be penetrated with the divine presence, and be shaped through and through with the shape of the God he loves, and be present in Him, so that God’s presence may shine out to him without any effort. What is more, in all things let him acquire nakedness, and let him always remain free of things. But at the beginning there must be attentiveness and a careful formation within himself, like a schoolboy setting himself to learn.”
Meister Eckhart (c.1260-1328) in The Essential Writings (New York: Harper & Row, 1941) 12-13.
What do you have? It’s a simple question, and yet, not really. It queries where or not we are free of things. From there, the questions only get more complex. The reality for most people is that over time they acquire more things and a larger residence to store them.
What if you a different approach regardless of what everyone else is doing? What if you sat like a schoolboy setting yourself to learn? To be generous is to be penetrated by the divine presence and shaped by the God of love.
When this happens we start living different, giving different, serving different, loving different than those around us. God, help us acquire nakedness so that we remain free of things to live, give, serve, and love different from the world, just like you. Amen.