LENTEN MEDITATION | Generosity is Contagious. It Sparks Possibilities.

By the Rev. Stacy Stringer

A friend wrote recently, “Don’t let what you cannot do get in the way of what you can do.” This sounds like a no brainer, but it is a message I repeat to myself often.

In disaster recovery, discerning what we can do is a daily, even hourly exercise. We cannot move whole communities to safer places. We cannot secure stable, dignified, fair wage jobs for families living in poverty. Even with amazing funding from committed Episcopal organizations, there remains much that we cannot do.

Yet, at the same time, I witness how generosity in all sizes and shapes unlocks abundance, which in turn catalyzes transformation, both for the giver and the receiver. I recall Tim, the construction worker, who gave his limited time and material resources to repair one more room for a family whose roof he had repaired with our grant dollars. I recall the flurry of unsolicited donations sent to one of our congregations after word spread about the grant they received for repairing mobile homes damaged by an unexpected winter freeze.

Generosity is contagious. It sparks possibilities. Trust God with what you can do, and DISASTER don’t let what you can’t do get in the way.

The Rev. Stacy Stringer is Director of Disaster Recovery for the Episcopal Diocese of Texas.