But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: “God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.” James 4:6
“True happiness is possible only when there is generosity and detachment. Then life is full of joy. It shows itself in little things and at very definite moments of our life. Let us ask the Lord to help us with his grace so that he can always count on us for what he wants us to do.”
Francis Fernandez in In Conversation with God: Meditations for Each Day of the Year, volume 3 (London: Scepter, 1990) 436.
I am traveling home today. I am so excited to be reunited with Jenni and see our dog, Grace.
And for some reason, when I typed this post, I thought of a funny memory from earlier in our marriage. It was one of our forgettable moments.
We traveled to Orlando for a conference. We were in our mid 30’s. We had a great time in a short break from a our small children back home. And we visited one of those timeshare presentations. You can guess where this is going.
We tasted joy in Florida and wanted to secure that experience for our future so we bought into the timeshare. But we had a window of time to back out if we regretted the decision.
For us, we experienced immediate regret because we did not have the money to pay for it and we would have to take on great debt. So, we reversed the decision with no penalty.
What’s my point today?
When we plan something, perhaps a trip, and experience it with generosity and detachment. Our lives are filled with joy. It’s so amazing we want to own it, package it, bottle it, repeat it for the rest of our lives.
A biblical illustration of this was the Mount of Transfiguration. The guys had so much fun they wanted to built dwellings and stay there. But that’s not how life in God’s economy works.
When we try to do that, we actually become slaves to whatever we tried to own, package, bottle, and repeat. When that happens God can’t count on us. We are too busy with our own stuff.
God wants to attach only to Him and then bless us with one unexpected blessing after another. It takes His grace to live this way. May He give each of us more grace to live lives of generosity and detachment.