By Nicholas Keehler of Parkville, Missouri USA

Whoever is kind to the poor lends to the Lord and will be repaid in full.

Steam from the coffee, swirling upward.
The smell of soil after rain.
No rush. The freedom to simply be.

Following a summer heatwave, I wrote these words under the heading “Gratitude.”

Earlier this spring, I thought I was the embodiment of creative abundance. I lived as simply as I could, orienting every action toward the common good. I ate a plant-forward diet, limited my spending to bare necessities, and basically had an identity crisis when I couldn’t afford an electric lawn mower, a necessary tool while I convert my yard to native prairie.

Even my career centered around cultivating a world where the poor or oppressed are set free. When I wasn’t at work, I was busy converting my land into a bastion of abundance, dreaming of undermining the cogs of capitalism with cucumbers, climbing beans, bumble bees, and butterflies.

And that is what brought me into my therapist’s office one morning. I confessed that I found myself getting annoyed when friends or family reached out, wanting to spend time together. I wanted to be a person who prioritized for their community, but I felt like I couldn’t afford to waste what scarce time I had. The world needed fixing, now. I was fixing it.

My therapist suggested gratitude journaling. I begrudgingly agreed. Each day, as I forced myself to write those bullet points, a change occurred. Time transitioned from scarcity to abundance, each moment something new to be enjoyed.

It seemed that hyper-ideological living led me to burnout. The creativity of Spirit doesn’t stop, but what I hadn’t picked up on was that Spirit is only abundant because Spirit is rooted in joy, not obligation.

Slowly, I reached back out to my community and found Spirit working in ways I previously blinded myself to. The native plant community was growing. The farmer’s market was packed. My colleagues were educating younger generations about creation’s interconnectedness.

This was the world that embodied creative abundance far more than one person ever could. This was the work of Spirit, freely gifted. How else could I respond but to joyfully share it forward?

Prayer Phrase

“…do good and share what you have” (Hebrews 13:16).

Enough and to Spare

Take three slow, deep breaths. As you inhale, silently say, “There is enough.” As you exhale, say, “And more to share.” Then name aloud or write down three ways you already experience God’s generosity in your life—big or small. End by asking, “How can I share from what I’ve been given today?”

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.