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Advent devotion: Sharing

News | December 8, 2015

I commute by bicycle. As a result, I can use this time to ponder life and my place on earth without endangering other people. As I examine my life, I try to see my life as an expression of my beliefs and values. I hope that I do not discover too many inconsistencies!

One theme I have been thinking a lot on lately is sharing. Hey, I’m an adult, sharing is easy! I put change in the red kettle. I give to the United Way. We carpool to and from school. We share food at social events. We sponsor a child in El Salvador. But is it enough? Am I really living out my beliefs about sharing?

What prevents me/us (ALL of us) from really sharing? For example; does everyone in the neighborhood really need their own walk behind, gasoline-powered mulching/bagging lawn mower that gets used for about one hour a week?  Do we not trust our neighbors? Are our resources so plentiful that we choose to buy our way out of sharing in the name of convenience? Do we fear true sharing? Do we fear true community?

During Advent I think of the sharing Gabriel asked of Mary (and Joseph). Carry this child. Endure the stigma of being an unwed mother (and father) to be. Have this son and share him with the world. And he shall save the world. Could I share like that? We know how the story turns out, so it’s easy to say yes. In that time and place a “yes” might not be so easy.

How might I express sharing of this magnitude? What does God want me to share? Am I willing to do it? This Advent I endeavor to share more of my time, resources, and love with the people I know, people I don’t know yet and people I will never know.

Steve Torgerud is an assistant professor at Palmer College of Chiropractic. He lives in Bettendorf with wife Laura and daughter Abby.

3 Comments on “Advent devotion: Sharing”

  • Jim Case

    December 9, 2015 at 9:30 pm

    Great devotion Steve. I dream of a world where we share each other’s time and talents without expecting something in return! Sharing from the heart is a perfect way to spread Christ’s love

  • Charlotte Coan

    December 8, 2015 at 7:59 pm

    Steve, Thank you for sharing a wonderful devotion. Lots to think about.

  • Liz Larson

    December 8, 2015 at 5:25 pm

    Thanks Steve and Laura for sharing this. It truly makes you stop in your tracks and think about what more can I do with and for my life!

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