I have always shared rooms with people. As a kid, I shared my room with my brothers and our home with my large family. As a young college student, I shared living quarters with my dorm roommates. I married two years out of college and began sharing my room and home with my wife. Finally, as a father, I shared my home with my children, lots of them. Now, as I look back on my life, I realize that most of my years have been spent in shared living quarters.
Those accustomed to living alone would likely consider the shared living experience less than ideal. But for me, it's very natural, so much so that having space without companions seems unnatural. My experience has given me an appreciation of the blessing of having people around. It has also taught me some valuable lessons. For example, I learned that being in right relations is most often better than being right. After all, what is the use in being right when the people you share life with are angry at you?
Another lesson learned is that much of what we possess is meant to be shared. It is great to have your own stuff. But if being obsessed with the things I have puts me at odds with those I love, what good comes of it? I have learned that scratches on my car's side panels are acceptable if it allows me to teach my child the joy of riding a bike. Or missing a shirt means that one of my daughters gets to sleep comfortably in an oversized nightshirt. These are small things in the whole scheme of life. But they do add up.
In life, we share space. Whether we like it or not, sharing is part of living. That’s how it was meant to be. Life was meant to be a shared experience. If a person can understand and accept this truth and the consequences of sharing, life’s so much more fulfilling. Sometimes the room we share is our bedroom or our home. Sometimes it is the community in which we live, and when we view our room on a global scale, the room may be the whole world.
In his letter to the Jewish disciples in Rome, Paul admonishes the readers to share their world in a manner that brings peace. Romans chapter 14 in the New Testament holds one of the truths to having a peaceful life. In this chapter, Paul writes, "Accept the one whose faith is weak, without quarreling over disputable matters." In other words, don't fret the small stuff. If the matter is disputable or is not a foundational truth in your life, don't lose your peace with others over it. Reading Paul’s thoughts on this topic, I believe he is talking about a form of generosity.
Sometimes I get locked into generosity being related solely to a person's resources, be it time, talent, or property. But being generous goes far beyond that boundary. We can be generous in our relationships by sharing room to promote peace among our fellow humans. I can be charitable in listening, empathizing, and providing moral support to those who need a listening ear rather than a debate on what is right or wrong. Jesus is an excellent example.
In Jesus, we have a person who had little to no earthly possessions to share. But while Jesus may not have provided monetary support to the needy, he always gave a listening ear. He was always ready to hear, and with tremendous care in His heart, He answered people at the point of their need. A life lived like that has extraordinary power to change one person's life and the entire world around them. Maybe this is why the Bible speaks of charity (love) as the greatest of all things a person may possess and share.
Once again, the reality is that we share room. We choose how we share our room. At Mite, we believe in coming together and sharing generously, whether that be sitting and listening to a friend, holding the door open for a stranger, or giving to your favorite organization.