Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1
“We are taught and advised to abandon temporal riches, to lay aside earthly goods, and to strove to reach the eternal and everlasting dwelling-places in heaven. For present glory is fleeting and meaningless, while it is possessed, unless in it we can glimpse something of heaven’s eternity.”
Henry the Exuberant (973-1024) in Letter of Saint Henry from Lives of the Saints as recounted Milton Walsh in Witness of the Saints: Patristic Readings in the Liturgy of the Hours (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2012) 525.
I had a video interview with Saraí Súchite, founder and director of Honey World, a business as mission effort in Guatemala yesterday. She’s replicated GTP trainings in Guatemala and Costa Rica and so we were meeting to gather her impact story.
She said something that seemed to echo this post I read earlier in the day. She said that while we may be taught about stewardship and generosity, we don’t realize it is the way to live until we lay aside the good things God has give us to receive His best.
And she added, and “giving hands are never empty.” I just loved that. Ponder with me a moment. The reason we are taught and advised to let go of wealth is because it hinders our running of the race set before us. You can’t imagine a sprinter or a marathon runner carrying a suitcase, can you?
So, the lesson for our generosity today is this. Do as you are taught and advised. Lay that stuff aside and give generously because “giving hands are never empty.” Strive to finish the race set before you. Keep your focus on your eternal dwelling. Storing treasures there. With you!