Luke 14:12-14
The art of joyful giving
The art of joyful giving
He said also to the one who had invited him, ‘When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbours, in case they may invite you in return, and you would be repaid. 13But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, and the blind. 14And you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you, for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.’
Did you ever receive a gift and one of the first things you think of is that you didn't get them something? Doh! And the converse is true as well, you give someone a gift and there is an uncomfortableness that they didn't give you something. It might be good maners to always return a gift but that really isn't why we give, is it? Ideally we give from the heart. As for receiving, why are we so reticent to accept a gift from someone? This even extends to compliments that we find hard to accept so we diminish the compliment or brush it aside. Do we have such poor self images that we cannot realize we are worthy of a gift? Aren't we worthy of some attention, a compliment?
I hope that by now you realize just how awesome you are. I hope you know that to the core of your being.
So, in thanksgiving, spend the day trying to come up with a good gift for someone. Sort of like a secret santa except it doesn't have to be bought. It could be a compliment. It could be simply doing something for someone. Carry a bag? Open a door? Donate something to a worthy cause. The key though is to not make a big deal about it. In fact, it's best done so the person may not even know your intentions because God knows and you know. Try to avoid the expectation that you will get something back - even a thank you. The purpose here is to do something or give something that only you can give from your personal array of talents, treasure ($) or whatever. Again you and God only need know.
Next step - accept something someone wants to do for you because you do deserve it.
I hope that by now you realize just how awesome you are. I hope you know that to the core of your being.
So, in thanksgiving, spend the day trying to come up with a good gift for someone. Sort of like a secret santa except it doesn't have to be bought. It could be a compliment. It could be simply doing something for someone. Carry a bag? Open a door? Donate something to a worthy cause. The key though is to not make a big deal about it. In fact, it's best done so the person may not even know your intentions because God knows and you know. Try to avoid the expectation that you will get something back - even a thank you. The purpose here is to do something or give something that only you can give from your personal array of talents, treasure ($) or whatever. Again you and God only need know.
Next step - accept something someone wants to do for you because you do deserve it.
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