I was picking up my son Max from the bus stop earlier this week and noticed he was walking and talking with a new friend. After he got in the truck I asked him about who he was talking to and what they were talking about.
He said, “That’s Garrett’s older brother.”
I said, “Oh, what’s his name?”
He replied, “Umm, I don’t remember right now.”
I told him, “That’s ok, what where you talking about?”
Max said, “I gave him some of my football cards for free and we were just talking.”
I was amazed.
You have to understand the value of football cards in a young boy’s life, and for Max and his buddies they trade cards; giving away cards doesn’t really happen. They are always trying to work a deal. The name of the game is to get more cards or better cards.
I curiously said, “Really!?! Why did you do that?” And his reply was simple but profound to me, “Dad, I have so many football cards… I didn’t need those.”
God used that interaction as a spiritual moment to think about blessing.
Max would never say it this way at this point in his life, but he was living from a sense of being blessed, which opened him up to live generously, not in greed or entitlement.
What kind of response do I have to blessing?
I’ve been pondering this question since Sunday, but especially since my little talk with Max. Do I even think I’m blessed?
A wonderful part of Ephesians 1:3 has come to mind over and over as I have reflected on those questions and my life. The text says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing…”
Blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing.
Now that is truly amazing.
In Christ I’m not lacking anything. I am blessed in every way. This good news has an “opening up” result as I believe it and receive it. Generosity is a characteristic of someone who isn’t thinking they need more or are wanting better.
It is easy to get locked into cycles of greed and entitlement, but I’m praising God for every spiritual blessing in Christ. May this be the grace that God uses to cultivate a joy of generosity in my life and the lives of others.
Grace and peace,
Pastor Loren