In a world obsessed with outcomes and metrics, we’re called to offer our strength in abundance, even when it seems wasteful. Following the example of God, we give ourselves generously and trust the Spirit will use our efforts to conceive life according to his own divine wisdom.
God has been described as gloriously wasteful because he creates stars we’ll never see, flowers that bloom and die unseen, and sunrises each day that fade whether we notice them or not. This extravagant abundance can also be seen in how he designed our bodies: producing millions of sperm each day, while only one occasionally leads to conception (maybe). Time and again, God creates with an overflowing generosity.
To be sure, everything he creates accomplishes its purpose. But this is not always evident from our human perspective.
And it’s in this same way we’re to offer ourselves – freely and generously without demanding evidence of impact. Like in biological procreation, our task is simply to rise to the occasion; it’s the Spirit who ultimately conceives new life through us.
All too often we hesitate to create, speak, love, or give unless we have assurances beforehand it will work. And we then quickly give up whenever we’re not getting the outcomes or metrics we expected. Of course, we should wisely discern the fruit being produced from our efforts and courageously shift gears when necessary. But this should not be merely chasing success from a human standpoint.
Rather, as we have learned from God and our very bodies, we give faithfully without waiting on particular guarantees. Some of our efforts will produce life, while others will not. But we will not always know which is which. And so we must continue to sow our seeds with a wasteful generosity.
In the end, while outcomes are useful, we must first learn to simply give ourselves freely without chasing particular results. This is faith. And it’s how we reflect the lavish generosity God displays throughout creation and written into our very bodies.
