A Generous God
by: Kelsey Foster
“ If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!” - Matt 7:11
My 4 year old daughter loves to give gifts. There doesn’t even have to be a special occasion on the horizon for her to go into the basement and pull out the wrapping paper. Paying a visit to her cousins is occasion enough in her book. She will go into her room and start pulling toys out to give to the people she loves.
Of course as a mother, I want to encourage her generous spirit, but sometimes I reach my limits. The other day I said to her, “Hey honey, if you keep giving away all of your toys, you aren’t going to have any left.” She responded with, “That’s okay mommy, you can just buy me some more!”
At first I rolled my eyes; this little girl is really out here believing that I exist to bankroll her every whim! But then I got to thinking a bit more. My daughter is not afraid to be generous and give her things away because she knows my husband and I would never let her go without something she needs. She doesn’t have to live in fear of scarcity because she trusts we have her best interests in mind and find joy in providing for her.
What a picture of how our faith in God should look! How often have I been tempted to hoard my resources because I am afraid of being depleted? If my daughter can trust me, her human, flawed parent, to take care of her needs so she can live generously, how much more can I trust our perfect father in heaven? I think of Matthew 7:11 where Jesus says, “If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!”
I want to be clear - I am not saying if you give your car away, the Lord will bless you with a Ferrari the next day. But I believe if you use the resources He has given you to love your neighbors as He has called us to, you will not run dry. For me this might mean inviting the other mom down the street to come have a playdate at our house. As an introvert I am often tempted to limit the relationships in my life and keep my time to myself. If I am modeling faith in our Father to my kids, I will resist that temptation and believe that God will sustain me and give me the energy I need to show His love to another mom in the trenches.
What about you? What are the resources you have been given that you could give away? What would it look like to trust our good Father to give you what you need? May we be mothers raising children who know what it means to rely on God!
Musical reflection: Click this shared link to the song “Reckless Love” by Cory Asbury