Sowing Generously
“Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give...”
2 Corinthians 9:6-10
Recently, my family and I vacationed at the beach. An essential aspect of enjoying the beach in our family is being “on” the beach. This often entails long hours under the sun, watching our kids build sand castles, reading and sipping chilled beverages. To maximize our comfort, after breakfast, we set up our beach umbrellas and chairs. Of course, anyone who has stood on the bank of a large ocean knows it is windy and there’s always the risk of an umbrella being swept away by a sudden gust. This is why I love a device called a “beach umbrella corkscrew.” As the name suggests, this little gadget twists down into the sand, keeping the beach umbrella from blowing away. It works beautifully...most of the time.
On our third day at the beach, we decided to come back to the house for an early afternoon nap. Trusting the sturdiness of umbrella corkscrews, we left our chairs and umbrellas unattended. An hour later, we heard a knock on our back porch. To our surprise, it was our neighbors. As I opened the screen door, I noticed they were toting our two beach umbrellas under their arms. Evidently, the wind had unearthed them and blown them down the beach. With a friendly smile, our neighbors carefully deposited our runaway umbrellas on our back porch. Their courteous act was touching, but the generosity didn’t stop there. We invited them to park their extra cars in our driveway, and they entertained us with singing and guitar playing. The reciprocal acts of goodwill continued for the rest of the week. It was contagious.
This reminded me of the lesson today from 2 Corinthians 9:6-10, where Paul stresses that Christians are to act generously toward others. He writes, “the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.” (2 Corinthians 9:6) It is interesting that Paul uses agricultural terminology to describe acts of kindness and generosity. Our acts of kindness are likened to “sowing,” and this sowing results in reaping “bountifully” and “increasing the harvest.” This means that when we act generously, we are actors in a larger drama of what God is doing in the world (God’s harvest).
As you begin your day, ask the Lord where you might sow seeds of generosity. How might you give of your time, talent or treasure? Perhaps, it is at your office or while shopping or with your neighbor? Doing so not only makes the world a better place, but also allows you to participate as an actor of God’s greater story.
