The Gift That Keeps On Giving

The Gift That Keeps on Giving

Give freely and become more wealthy; be stingy and lose everything. Proverbs 11:24

Over the years, I have enjoyed being involved with Basket of Hope, a group that gives baskets full of games, books, and fun diversions to seriously ill children in the hospital. Not only is it a gift to them, but seeing their reaction is a gift to me, and a positive example for my children.

Someone who believed in giving himself to others was Francis of Assisi. Francis was born in 1182 into a wealthy family in Italy. But in early manhood, Francis left his family and a life of luxury and committed himself to full-time ministry. He lived a simple, relatively short life of forty-four years.

Yet what he accomplished continues to have a strong impact to this day—most notably establishing the Franciscan Order, whose members maintain a vow of poverty. A man of prayer, Francis is especially known for one with these poetic lines:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,

Where there is hatred, let me sow love. . . .

For it is in giving that we receive;

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

No matter if we are young or grown, we could all use a refresher course from St. Francis on this lesson: “It is in giving that we receive.”

How many times have you said something along those lines at Christmastime to your children? My children don’t have any trouble coming up with a Christmas list every year for themselves. Even when we talk about other children who are in dire circumstances and won’t have a Christmas, their reaction might be, “You can get something for them, too.”

Then something happens. Something happens that finally makes St. Francis’s words ring true for people. It may be that first smile from a child who is handed a stuffed animal bought with allowance money. It may be that video showing a close-up of children’s faces in a faraway place as they struggle to find enough food for the day.

Something happens, and people understand that giving is all about blessings. That focusing on giving instead of getting adds a gift to their list—the blessing of lifting up someone else’s life.

Uncommon Key > You don’t need to give everything away, but it’s important for you to be generous to people in need. The blessing you will receive from them lasts forever.