I am sitting on the front porch of a house in our town enjoying bacon butter tarts and watermelon with someone who inspires me. Her name is Natalia, and she is nine years old. She is a wonderful young lady with a big heart. She has the desire to help others.

Her eyes light up as she talks about her passion to help people. When I asked her why, she said, “Because God loves people and doesn’t want them to go hungry—and I can help. I don’t want people to go hungry either.” Her donations from knitting and selling scarves reached over $350 this year and helped a local food bank, our church’s food programs, and an organization helping people with autism.

As I think of Natalia’s generosity, I am reminded of the passage in Philippians about the generosity of Jesus.

Jesus, who had everything in heaven, was willing to come to our messy planet to live with imperfect, broken human beings like us. He was willing to share with us in abundance. He came without all the splendor of heaven so that he could relate to us in our common, everyday lives and give us hope and love.

What Jesus modeled to us, in giving himself, is what we can model to others as we walk similar streets to share his love with people today.