The other day, I was listening to an interview with the singer Jewel, who was talking about the fact that the poorest people she knows are always the most generous. Why? Because they truly understand need. They’ve often had to depend on the kindness of others to get through hard times, which, in turn, makes them want to return that favor to others. Thank you, Jewel—I really needed to be reminded of that.

While I’m more than happy to donate to causes and volunteer my time, I really still struggle with being generous with things in my little bubble: food, clothes, my space. When I get to the heart of what’s going on for me, my struggle with generosity stems from a fear deep inside that there’s not going to be enough. Enough of what? It doesn’t matter. Just, that there’s not going to be enough of it.

Holding onto my stuff is another delusional way I try to exercise control over my life and the things in it. The illusion is that if I hold things close and stockpile, I’m in control of my life, and not the other way around. But, it’s plain for anyone looking to see: this isn’t a crisis of sharing, this is a crisis of faith. 

Stuff doesn’t matter. People matter. I’m embarrassed to think about how much I can hurt people in my pursuit to control and protect “stuff.” While I’ve gotten a lot better at this, Easter is a nice time to think about restoring my trust that, no matter what, there’s always going to be enough. Always. And the best way for me to practice that faith is by giving freely to others…as long as they don’t expect me to share my Peeps, we should be good.

More on sharing (I love the quote in this post):
Are You Good At Sharing? You Must Be the Oldest