Soul Rest: 7 Days To RenewalSample

GIVE GENEROUSLY

One of the great gifts of fasting, in any fashion, is that it shows us our dependence on specific things that may hinder us from communion with God. It also helps us to gain clarity in hearing the voice of God, who speaks. When we are untethered to things, it helps us to gain a restful posture because we are not consumed with the acquisition and maintenance of them. Fasting, when practiced regularly, helps us to realize the possibility that we can live with less than we have. 

Today, find a way to give to someone else anonymously. The power of this practice is the calibration and clarity it brings. It helps to bring to the forefront not what we aspire to be but who we really are. That is the power of the text in Matthew 6 when it talks about not letting your “right hand know what you left hand is doing” while giving. When you give, while looking for nothing in return, you are able to extend grace to others in a way that refreshes your awareness of God’s grace toward us, which produces rest. Write down what you feel and experience as a result of this exercise. 

Caution: The potential temptation here is to say that it may be too difficult for us to find an opportunity to do this practice. Or, in giving, we may want to do it in a way that we are recognized for it. Even if it is as small as paying for the coffee of someone behind you in the drive-through, find a way to make it happen. 

Our greatest fulfillment lies in giving ourselves to others. 

HENRI NOUWEN