Generous

Psalm 37:21

The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;

Does anyone borrow and not repay? Of course it happens, but I bet if you compared the number of people who think someone owes them money with the number of people who think they owe someone else the numbers wouldn’t match up. At best we may think “oh yeah, I really need to pay that person back,” but we probably never say “they’ll never see that again, it is all mine now.” I guess at the heart of this is the fact that I feel righteous by this verse. I don’t borrow money from people, and I always honor my household debts, that’s one point, but I also think that I’m pretty generous compared to most people in my situation.

But any scripture that makes me feel “good” causes me to worry a bit. I know that I can’t measure up to God, so when I start feeling like I’m getting close I think that I must be missing a point somewhere. So how have I borrowed, and not repaid? I think about the land that I walk on, and the small piece of property that I claim to “own.” Can I possess a piece of God’s earth and claim my own sovereignty over it? From whom do I borrow this land? I think about my education and the knowledge that gives me a title. Does this knowledge belong to me that I should hold privilege because of it and earn my way to comfort and luxury? I think about the institutions of school and church and government that have afforded me values, ideals, and prosperity; I consider these mine, but do I take the time to consider the backs that were broken and the lives that were given and taken for this.

Ultimately, I consider my life. Do I consider it my own, to spend as I see fit? Have I borrowed this life from my creator without a thought of repayment or have I given all, generously given all that I am in recognition that there is nothing in me apart from God.