Dare To Be More

Just then a woman who had hemorrhaged for twelve years slipped in from behind and lightly touched his robe. She was thinking to herself, “If I can just put a finger on his robe, I’ll get well.” Jesus turned—caught her at it. Then he reassured her: “Courage, daughter. You took a risk of faith, and now you’re well.” The woman was well from then on. Matthew 9:20-22 (MSG)

 

There is a sign near my desk at work that I wrote a year or so ago which says, 

“I dare to be more generous with my time, my abilities and my availability.”

I don’t see it every day, but this morning it caught my attention, and I read it as I settled in. 

I thought as I processed the words, “Yes, I want to be more generous with these things. I want to offer more of me rather then get annoyed when my time is interrupted.”

As if on cue, at that moment, someone walked in to my office and asked me for a writing pad.

I reacted with annoyance.

I wondered why they were taking advantage of me. Why they couldn’t get find their own paper? Why they didn’t just go to HR and collect their stationary?

I did a bad job of hiding my annoyance as I handed over the paper and they walked out.

But then I remembered what I’d just read and I felt ashamed.

Regretful that I failed to put my colleagues needs above my own.

Ashamed that I failed to look like Jesus.

There’s a story in the bible about Jesus being in a rush to go raise a little girl from the dead. 

While Jesus is trotting to save this small girls life another woman sneaks up behind him and touches his robe.

Jesus doesn’t react in anger.

Jesus doesn’t withhold healing from her or begrudgingly tell her that she is cured. 

Instead he stops what he is doing and offers a kind word, encouragement and healing. He offers it openhandedly and liberally. 

Jesus dared to be generous.

Not because Jesus had too but because he chose to.

Jesus chose to put her needs above his own. And she was well from then on.

As I remembered this story I thought I want to choose to be more like Jesus. 

I want to dare to be more like Jesus. (<-- Click here to tweet this)

I want to choose to be generous. 

Not because I have too but because I want to. 

And for me that begins by really living the words on that piece of paper and living generously.

Where does daring to look like Jesus begin for you? What area of your life is God challenging or daring you to be more like him in? 

 

Please leave a comment on my blog about what you would like to dare to be more of or tweet this, like my facebook page or subscribe to receive each new devotional via email. This devotional originally appeared on ilovedevotionals.com in October 2012.