Generous people

I'm self-aware, organised and generally disciplined. I put this down to the personality God gave me, the upbringing I received and the fact that I was born into the middle class. These things make it easier for me to avoid sins that other people struggle with, not through any impressive effort but because of God's gracious favour. But there's a flip side - I can find myself being disdainful of messy, sinful people.

However I'm increasingly realising that these people are no more sinful than I am. It's just that our sins lie in different directions. I'm good at avoiding sins, but less good at actually doing something positive. They're less good at avoiding sins, but put me to shame when it comes to being big-hearted, caring and generous. And my absence of a positive good is as much a sin as those sins I so conscientiously avoid.