An Open, Generous Heart

<p>After Vicki&rsquo;s old car broke down with no option for repair, she started scraping together money for another vehicle. Chris, a frequent customer of the restaurant where Vicki works at the drive-thru window, one day heard her mention she needed a car. &ldquo;I couldn&rsquo;t stop thinking about it,&rdquo; Chris said. &ldquo;I [had] to do something.&rdquo; So he bought his son&rsquo;s used car (his son had just put it up for sale), shined it up, and handed Vicki the keys. Vicki was shocked. &ldquo;Who . . . does that?&rdquo; she said in amazement and gratitude.</p> <p>The Scriptures call us to live with open hands, giving freely as we can&mdash;providing what&rsquo;s truly best for those in need. As Timothy says: &ldquo;Command [those who are rich] to do good, to be rich in good deeds&rdquo; (1 Timothy 6:18). We don&rsquo;t merely perform a benevolent act here or there, but rather live out a cheerful spirit of giving. Big-heartedness is our normal way of life. &ldquo;Be generous and willing to share,&rdquo; we&rsquo;re told (v. 18). </p> <p>As we live with an open, generous heart, we don&rsquo;t need to fear running out of what we need. Rather, the Bible tells us that in our compassionate generosity, we&rsquo;re taking &ldquo;hold of [true] life&rdquo; (v. 19). With God, genuine living means loosening our grip on what we have and giving to others freely.</p>