I’ve been reading an amazing book titled “Humble Roots” by Hannah Anderson. I recommend this book for everyone! It provides a Godly perspective on challenging our pride and learning humility. As I feel the Lord currently teaching me humility, this book has been an amazing companion!

I recently finished chapter 8 and was so encouraged and challenged that I wanted to share some of my thoughts and gems from the text. This chapter focuses on how we handle/manage our resources. The main basis is to recognize that our resources are not our own, but gifted to us by the Lord. We tend to “cling to our time, wealth, even our family life, unwilling to develop or share them with others.” We may do that with the facade of “being good stewards” with our resources, but we are called to glorify God through relationship and communion with others. We can’t do that if we aren’t sharing with others.

On the flip side, a minimalist lifestyle can also be prideful when we are proud that we can do without. Or also focusing on ourselves even more when we feel guilty that we don’t live a minimalist lifestyle but seem to have so much "stuff." Through her process of learning to steward her resources in a Godly way, she resolved the following:

“1 – I will not overlook my privilege. I will take stock of the resources that God has given me including time, talent, education, and wealth.

2 – I will not feel guilty about what God has put in my hands or attempt to earn it. I accept it as a gift and rejoice in it.

3 – I will allow God to lead me in cultivating these gifts for His glory and the good of those around me.”

I love this example! I hope to start implementing something similar in my own life as I try to focus on cultivating my resources more for God’s glory through dependence on Him! Because we cannot learn how to cultivate our resources and negate our selfish pride apart from Him.

The author ends chapter 8 with a profound paragraph:

“So instead of asking ‘Do I deserve this gift?’ humility teaches us to ask, ‘What has God given and what responsibility do I have because of it?’ And by doing so, humility changes the frame of reference entirely. Suddenly we are no longer at the center; God is. Suddenly our sense of entitlement or guilt no longer drives our choices. Suddenly everything is a gift and everything has purpose.”

So, let us always remember, “When we consider our resources, it is not enough to simply count our one thousand gifts. Our one thousand gifts are actually one thousand opportunities: the very means by which God intends to seed His Word.”

(All quotations taken from “Humble Roots” by Hannah Anderson, various sections of Chapter 8)

#provision #Growth