Abbondanza!

Just a smattering of tomatoes off our vines. A lot for just two people.

It has taken a while but our vegetable garden is coming in. For the longest time I thought the tomatoes were not going to develop let alone ripen for us this season.

But, low and behold, the vines are full with green and ripening gems. Really too much for two people to eat.

As I was picking the tomatoes and placing the extra in a box for our son, it occurred to me that so much of nature is incredibly plentiful, especially in the correct environment.

The extravagance of nature’s bounty reminds me of the extravagant generosity of God. After all, God designed nature so why wouldn’t God design our world, modeled after God’s own generous nature? Creatives will tell you that a piece of their nature, soul or personality is tucked into their creation whether that is a song, written word, visual art, drama, comedy, or food. Even in the “sciences”, the creative’s influence, thoughts, or ideas comes through a mathematical equation, theorem, or hypothesis. So too is God’s nature tucked into God’s creation.

I think of my flowers spilling over everywhere. Even when I pick them, they come back two-fold. The plants just keep giving and giving.

Many years while living in our former home, I had so many hydrangea blossoms, I kept giving them away. The more I cut and gave away, the more they bloomed.

God’s economy of generosity seems to work with everything: the more we give away, the more we receive. It works with physical items, like the plants. It works with emotions, like love. And it works with spiritual concepts like listening, being present and building community. When we are generous with all that we have and all that we are, we receive so much more in return.

We were wired to be generous. Our brains, hormones and nervous system were designed for generosity through caregiving, which strengthens our survival as a group. Various studies have shown that those who volunteer- giving of their time- live longer, have better health outcomes and, in general, thrive. Even young children can be generous- who hasn’t received a smooshed cookie or sandwich from a toddler willing to share?

Of course, we have seen and experienced those who do not share. Many times it can be from the same sharing person. That same toddler who shares her favorite food can turn around and snatch a toy saying, “mine”. Many adults do the same thing- only their toys or property are a little bit bigger and more expensive. I believe it is due to fear of scarcity. If I give this (whatever this might be) away or share it, I won’t have it for the future. We saw that with the ugly side of the pandemic- the individuals who hoarded hand cleaner, toilet paper and other essential items.

Yet, for every story of those who do not share, who are scared of scarcity, who hold on to everything they have and say, “mine”, there are the stories that inspire us to be better. The stories of those who sacrificed so that others might live. The family who shares their paltry meal with a stranger. The churches who remain open as a sanctuary for those who are oppressed. The volunteers in the aftermath of the attacks on 9/11. As Michael Bloomberg wrote about the 9/11 memorial in NYC, “In the weeks after 9/11, countless people stepped forward to help others. Their actions strengthened communities and inspired a legacy that continues today.”

If one isn’t prone to generosity, how does one cultivate it? Many times, being generous is through our time: in being present to listen. That action is a sacrifice to our “busyness”. If we build wiggle room in our lives, we won’t feel so pressured that we are sacrificing precious time that we do not have. We can afford to spend the time with one another.

We cultivate generosity when we realize that all that we have is really not ours. As they say, we can’t take it with us. Everything we have is a gift. When we start to see the world around us as presents, we realize how generous God is. We don’t need to fear scarcity, since God is the source of all. We can share because it was never ours in the first place.

What about you? How is your garden, if you have one? Exploding with veggies? Have you ever experienced the generosity of God? What was the experience? How did that make you feel?

The more I experience God’s generosity, the more grateful I am. Grateful for the gifts I’ve received which in turn, encourages me to give to others. That’s the thing about gratitude- gratitude begets sharing, whether that is time, talent or treasure. It is like those flowers or those tomatoes. Abbondanza!