Providence is the belief that God will provide for our needs. This does not mean that we can sit around, do nothing, and expect God to put dinner on the table tonight. Providence is not an excuse for laziness. We shouldn’t ask for a miracle when all that is needed is an opportunity and hard work. Providence requires our cooperation.
The central question in any discussion about divine Providence is: Do we trust that God will provide for us? Intellectually and theologically it may be easy to say yes, but practically we prefer not to have to rely on God. We prefer to take things into our own hands, and that is the line that we cross to join the world’s perspective of self-determinism.
Part of the reason is trust, but the other part is greed. God’s promise is that he will provide for our needs, not that he will provide for our greed. And I suspect what God considers a need may differ significantly with what the average person today thinks are needs.
Place yourself in God’s hands. Ask Him to take care of you and your family, in every way imaginable.
Now, here is today’s generosity habit.
Buy someone your favorite thing. When we give our possessions away, we usually give the things we don’t need or want. And that is good, and there is a place for that. But try something different this time. Go beyond the low bar our society sets for generosity. Think about something you own that you just love. You know it’s just a material possession, but nonetheless it brings you great joy. I’m not asking you to give it away, I’m challenging you to buy another one for someone else. If you have to save to accomplish this generous feat, come up with a plan to save what is needed. And most importantly, think, pray, reflect, discern, who is likely to derive as much joy from it as you do. That is the person to whom you should give this fabulous and insanely thoughtful gift.
Matthew Kelly
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