Challenging Abundance

About this time last year, I was desperately doling out produce. We had had a mild autumn here in Tennessee, and in spite of an extended drought, tomatoes and apples in particular produced in droves. For me, it was a dramatic manifestation of reaping where I did not sow—house-sitting and taking in the harvest. Week after week, I battled to find ways to eat and share bushels of food before losing it to rot and mold. I was generous (carrying bags of fruit everywhere with me) and I was creative (apple crisps, tomato sauces, freezing, drying…), but it seemed like the supply would never run out.

As cold weather began to set in, over 30 pounds of apples remained on the porch. No one at church wanted any more. Neighbors had their own apples to eat. I had made enough apple pie. And then we had our house painted. I cautiously told the painters they could take as many apples as they wanted. The next day, we found the empty sack on the porch. What an incredible relief!

I thought a lot about that experience last Thanksgiving, and I find myself remembering it again now in the final days of the church stewardship season. I remember how thankfulness for home-grown tomatoes turned into dread of rotten tomatoes. The thrill of picking apples by the bagful became guilt over piles of softening apples. But without mold or worms or decay, what tells us how much is too much? What triggers our switch from gratitude to guilt? I can’t think of any other resource I’ve ever sought to share as desperately as I did those fruits last fall. The gravity of the country’s economic recession was becoming more obvious, and I had more than I possibly needed. I learned in tangible terms the problem of too much and its relief-filled solution of abundant generosity.

I don’t think it would have made me nearly as happy if the painters had taken a small bag of the apples, leaving me a little stash in case I wanted another batch of apple sauce. The thrill was that they were all gone—taken off my hands.

Can we accept the challenge that abundance brings? Are we up for knowing when enough is enough, working to put it to good use, and being delighted when it’s gone?

“Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, ‘There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.’
“The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.”     -Mark 10:21-22