Cheerful Giver

Each one should give what he has decided in his own mind, not grudgingly or because he is made to, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2Cor.9:7

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Lawrence, Deacon and Martyr. Living in Pagan Rome, Lawrence was in charge of giving to the poor.  When commanded to bring the riches of the Church to the prefect of Rome he gathered all the sick and poor he had been serving saying, "Here are the treasures of the Church". He embraced his tortuous death with joy, truly a joyful giver.

My wife is way better at giving than me.  Giving strikes at the very heart of my worldliness and my insecurities. The world tells me to gather more and more for myself, that it is in possessions that there is happiness. Today's scripture from Saint Paul tells me that giving away is not a choice but an expectation for a believer. The only choice I have is how I do it, begrudgingly or cheerfully.  I suspect this attitude towards possessions is in fact the key to a joy-filled life.  I am blessed to be a blessing... today.

Dear Jesus, You know how much I struggle with possessions.  Help me see them rightly so I do not become a slave to them.  Help me be a cheerful giver.
Little Flower, please pray for me.