Generous Heart

       I believe that generosity is directly tied to gratitude. When you feel the warmth of God's love in your daily life, you know you are blessed. When you know you are blessed, you are grateful. As Thanksgiving approaches I am always reminded of all I have to be grateful for. Being blessed by God's love does not mean you are protected from all the bad things in the world. You still get sick, lose jobs, have loved ones die, lose your possessions. The difference is that as I face the trials of life I never feel alone. I live daily life in touch with that which goes beyond daily life. I live in relationship with the eternal, and this changes my perspective on the transient nature of most experiences. In having an eternal love relationship I feel overwhelmed with thankfulness. From this root of gratitude swells a desire to give back. Since God doesn't need anything from me, I turn a generous heart on God's world and the people within it. Since God loves all so should I. Since God generously blesses the world, I want to be a part of that flow of loving generosity. It just happens naturally; I don't even need to think about it. What I have I give -  sometimes it is my money or resources; sometimes it is my time, and sometimes it is the sharing of my natural gifts or skills. I share not because I have to but because I want to. I might even say I need to; it completes me. To be grateful to God and give nothing back leaves an incomplete circle. I have participated in receiving, I want to participate in giving. My heart swells with the need. If I kept all to myself I think I would explode. I'd set off a generosity bomb...not pretty. Thankfully opportunities to be generous are all around me. If I maintain awareness, someone who needs what I have to offer is always near by. It feels like this is what it means to be in partnership with God, to put a generous heart into action. www.fcccarrollton.org