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Ask most people what the good life looks like and you'll get some version of more—more margin, more comfort, more assets, more equity. More. But here, Paul points in the opposite direction. He tells the wealthy in Timothy's church—the ones who coveted more—that real life is found by giving, not gathering. By doing this, he says, they'll take hold of the true “good life.”
But this isn't a life a few lucky people are born with or a privilege only a certain few have access to. You don’t need to have a certain number on your paycheck or a certain amount in your savings. It's a posture, built one small and unglamorous step at a time. Whether you have a little or a lot, there’s still a small step you can take today—a simple, doable way to meet a need.
“Small” looks different to everyone. One person’s “small” act of generosity may feel out of reach for another. But you know what you can do. When the need comes up, you know deep down if you can meet it. If you can pay for their groceries, put gas in their car, watch their kids, take 5 extra minutes for that conversation, pray for them in the moment instead of later.
Generosity isn't a more ideal version of you waiting off in the future. It’s the culmination of the small, intentional choices you can make right now, and then again tomorrow, until one day it's simply who you are. What’s a small step you can take today?
Pray: God, help me see every day as a chance to do some good—every resource as an opportunity to bless someone. Make generosity my habit instead of my goal. Teach me to see what you've given me like tools for someone else's good, and let me find the true “good life.” Amen.