If this devotion has convicted you to do more for those in need, how do you plan to get started? If you are already doing and giving in a sacrificial way, what has the Lord taught you in the process?
"Travel light." This is an idea planted into my heart years ago by a very wise birthday card. Ever since then, that idea has taken root and grown strong. To me, traveling light isn't just about letting go of worry and regret. It's also grown to be about being intentional about the things I decide to acquire and keep. Even more, it's about not filling my time or my budget to capacity. Why? To be able to be generous. It's been a learning journey, but in the process the thing I've learned the most is this (and it's going to sound cliche): I can't out-give God. Mostly because as I pour out, he pours right back in. Not always in the same way (it's not like he's running a divine reimbursement service), but always in a way that provides a blessing.
It helps that I belong to a church family that values giving. My senior pastor often mentions the verse that talks about leaving the edges of fields for the needy (Leviticus 19:9-10). Purposefully setting aside a part of my proverbial field has been life-changing. Because what begins as a sacrifice then becomes a budget.
The other big lesson I've learned: I don't need to out-give God (or anybody else). Once I started seeing the needs of the world, I felt like I started seeing them all. And there's a lot. How in the world could my little bit make any sort of real difference? But God has shown me time and time again that it's not about an amount, it's about my heart. Jesus famously took a sack lunch and fed a multitude. God still does that today. He doesn't want me to give my whole field, but he does want me to be a good steward and to be obedient with my edges.
Being lowly, living humbly...traveling light. So I can give him all my edges, and in his hands, those edges can change the world.
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