Giving abundantly of ourselves

In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise,
in God I trust; I am not afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me?
My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.
For you have delivered my soul from death, and my feet from falling, so that I may walk before God in the light of life. Psalm 56: 10-13

The Psalmist was facing a challenging life. It seemed he was surrounded by those who would harm him and undermine his efforts. Yet he recognized that God was with him and enabled him to “walk before God in the light of life.” And he recognized his need to perform his vows to God and render thank offerings.

The entire psalm and its characterization of struggle in life sound so familiar. This is such a challenging life that we lead; between just the normal day-to-day “stuff,” the economy, the threat of terrorism, and a culture that embraces an inhuman pace.  Try to accomplish the simplest task and it can seem as though the world is conspiring against you.

Our world is quite different, much more complex, than that of the psalmist. Yet the same response he applies to his challenges is precisely the focus that we need to maintain. Humans may have added to the turmoil of the world, but God remains unchanged. His promises remain the same. His steadfastness remains the same.

As much as this is a reflection on dealing with challenge, it is primarily about stewardship and our Baptismal Covenant. “My vows to you I must perform, O God; I will render thank offerings to you.” Notice, the quote from the psalm does not read “you require that I perform my vows,” or “you require that I render thank offerings to you.” No. God does not need our performance or our thank offerings, though he welcomes them as signs of our loving him as much as he loves us.

The “must” in the psalm refers to our need to perform our vows and to render thank offerings. We withhold ourselves from a full relationship with God when we withhold our fellowship, our worship, our ministries, our talents, and our financial offerings. Regardless of whether things are going well or poorly for you, JUMP IN! Don’t hold back. Each of us needs to be giving abundantly of ourselves to Christ’s work in the world through our parish.

That is where the light comes from. We walk before God in the light of life when we put ourselves in the position to bask in that light. We do that by performing our vows and rendering thank offerings.