Monday; August 24

As a youngster, I remember having to be taught to be willing to give.  I am not sure that generosity is innate in us, so from the early years we are told that we have to share our toys.  We have to be reminded around Christmastime that we need to look for presents for others and, on that morning, we had to be patient as others got the chance to open their gifts – and be gracious when they get what they wanted (even when we might not have gotten what we wanted).  As we matured, a little bit of spirituality was added when we learned, “Now this I say, he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” (I Corinthians 9:6-7).  The lessons may not have come naturally, but eventually most of us figured it out.

Interestingly, the older we get the more another lesson needs to be learned – we need to be cheerful getters as well.  There are times in our lives when people want to do something nice for us – we need to not only let them do it, but we also need to be happy that they are wanting to do it.  Nothing will quench the giving spirit like an unappreciative receiver.  We may not like to be given something (or even be the focus of someone’s generosity) – but that may not be the most important issue at play.  Sometimes we need to park our personal preferences and take one (a gift) for the good of the team.

Let’s learn to be gracious givers and good getters.  When we do that, the cycle can keep on spinning from one generation to the next.

Think About It!

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