Spring is slowly shifting into summer in my city, and I can feel the joy building inside me. I adore this season. Friends are more inclined to share meals outside, family comes together for warm-weather traditions, free festivals celebrate the city’s diversity, and my bike becomes my primary mode of transportation.
It is well with my soul. Sort of.
Biking home in the cool evening air tonight, the sun setting behind me, I am basking in contentment. I wonder out loud, “God, why would I want to leave all of this? Why now?” And the question makes me stop pedaling, sit up and cruise for a few moments.
But really, why now?
I mean, I am finally ready to buy a house (or a tiny house!), start a real garden, and live more sustainably. Content in my singleness, my heartstrings have begun to ache to foster, maybe adopt. My broken city is calling out to me to be an ally and advocate for those who are oppressed, and I am confident my voice could make an impact. There are so many opportunities! I am so blessed!
And that’s it – that’s the answer.
Why now? Because I am so blessed. Those blessings are not mine to hold on to, rather, they must be poured out to God’s glory.
God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. (Cor 9:8,11)
The ways in which we are ‘generous on every occasion’ are different for everyone. For some that means spending time at the nearby nursing home recording the stories of the elderly. For others that means opening up their home to foster children. For yet others that means quietly giving financial support to a local homeless shelter.
For me that means being sent.
God has uniquely blessed me at this point in my life so that I have very few obligations to keep me here. No mortgage, no debt, no children. It seems rather obvious that this is the specific way for me to be ‘generous on every occasion.’ To be sent. Hear me – I’m terrified and I will miss this sweet season God has given me. And yet…
It is well with my soul. Definitely.
