Live expansively.
We are also called to live expansively. When you expand, you go to another level. You increase scope. You take what you’ve got and you invest it in others or give it away.
Jesus shared a parable of three men who were entrusted with bags of gold. Two invested them and earned a 100-percent return. They lived expansively. One dug a hole and buried his gold. And of course, it did not go well for him when his master had an accountability conversation.
A great example of someone who lives expansively is Bob Goff. He is a constant giver. He gives his time, his money and his imagination to those who show up on his doorstep with needs. When you meet him for the first time, he hugs you. When you talk to him, he listens attentively and assumes that the answer to your question is “yes.” People come away from talking to him refreshed.
Yet living expansively when you feel poor or orphaned can be hard. So many people have been deeply wounded—abused even. They fall into depression and habits of self-preservation. They begin living small stories and may never learn the secret of expansive living.
I have older relatives who are closing out their lives in different ways. Some have lived expansively—always looking for ways to give away what they’ve been entrusted with. Even as they battle for life, they continue to give.
And others have lived a small story. They cling to the stuff they’ve accumulated. They have regrets, but their self-absorption strangles their spirit.
What kind of story are you writing with your life? It’s a good day to take stock and choose to live more openly and expansively.
