Joy in Sharing Treasures
If maturity requires letting go, then dying to ourselves is the complete letting go of everything. Jesus assures us that the tremendously high cost of letting go of everything is worth the exchange. The Franciscan Challenge (www.fssh.net) calls us to the process of letting go and sharing our valuable things with others. What was this like for me? I had a wonderful hobby for years of making stained glass sun catchers. I recently gave away my stained glass equipment to someone who was just starting that hobby. That made me feel a lot of joy knowing that someone else was using what I valued for years. Also, I had about 20 stained glass angels that I made, and I loved each of them. When this Franciscan Challenge came up, I gave away all my angels to people I knew would treasure them. That gave me a lot of joy knowing that the love I put into them would be carried on by others. We do not have to feel deprived if we give away our “stuff.” It can be very freeing and fill us with joy if we let it.