God's Generosity Empowers Our Generous Contentment

I remember a season when my bank account balance was lower than I’d like to admit, and every unexpected bill felt like a personal failure. I prayed for more; more stability, more income, more control; thinking that once I had “enough,” I’d finally feel secure. But somewhere in the middle of that anxiety, God began to teach me that His generosity wasn’t measured in numbers. It was measured in love.

Throughout my life, I’ve seen the wealth of love given to me. Like a friend showing up with a meal, a stranger’s kindness at the grocery store or coffee shop, a sense of peace that came in a prayer card in the mail. I began to see that I was already being cared for in ways money could never provide. God’s abundance wasn’t about wealth; it was about worth.

I’m reminded of this often in my role at Resurrection. Working with our middle and high school students and teaching them that their worth is not earned; it’s freely given by a God abundantly generous in grace and love. I’m reminded in my dual role as a care pastor, praying with individuals who may have lost every worldly possession they own. In the midst of their pain, I’m privileged to share that God and their church family are still here. There are many days I lose sight of this, and thankfully, God is faithful to remind me what generosity of spirit and kindness can do that no amount of money can.

Recently, I had a conversation with an individual experiencing loss due to shutdowns and cancellations of programs that help families put food on the table or a roof over their heads. Somewhere in the middle of the conversation, he said, “Thank you for taking the time to talk with me. This is the first time in all my calls asking for help and assistance that someone talked to me like a human and not like a problem.” I won’t lie to you, I cried, and we prayed together.

I share this not to boast, but to bring praise to what God can and continues to do through us when we see God’s generosity of love in our lives and open ourselves up to pour that generosity onto others, either through kind words, actions, helping hands, monetary giving, or other ways.

And that realization of what God can do changes everything. When I stop tying my value to what I can earn or give materially, I begin to see generosity differently. It’s not about giving out of excess; it’s about giving out of love. The more I trust in God’s endless generosity, the freer I feel to live with open hands; to love others without fear of running out.

True contentment grows not from what we have, but from knowing whose we are; beloved by a God whose generosity never ends. And when we truly grasp the depth of God’s generosity toward us, His grace that never runs dry, His provision that meets both seen and unseen needs, our striving begins to quiet. God’s abundance frees us from the myth of scarcity. We no longer give or serve out of fear of not having enough, but from the overflow of what we’ve already received. Contentment, then, is not resignation; it’s the rooted peace that grows when we trust that God’s hands are open toward us. In that trust, we find ourselves becoming generous people. Not because we have everything, but because in God, we already do.