Refreshing Others

One man gives freely, yet gains even more;another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty.A generous man will prosper;he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed.

Proverbs 11:24-25 (NIV)

Isn’t this just the opposite of what our natural instincts tell us? When our natural mind does the math, we think, Give and you have less, hoard and you have more. But Jesus gives us the true formula, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35, NKJV).

I learned this principle the hard way. I once slipped into a terrible time of depression. I was disappointed with situations in life, and on top of that I was feeling like a failure. And so I kept sinking deeper and deeper. Then one day, someone suggested that the best way out of depression was not to do more things for myself, but to find someone else who needed cheering. Just at that time I was invited to teach sewing to boys at a juvenile detention facility. It was a step—and I took it. It ended up that the most popular project with these troubled teens was to make teddy bears. They wanted to make pink and yellow and blue teddy bears. Then they told me the reason. They wanted to make them for their moms and little sisters and grandmothers. Then I realized they were just like me. In their troubles, they needed to give, too. Because “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” It was the way out of depression for them and for me, too.

“He [or she] who refreshes others will [themselves] be refreshed.”

Make It Personal . . . Live It Out!

Have you been feeling discouraged and depressed? Does it seem you just can’t shake it? Will you try this formula? Will you look around your world and ask God to show you someone who is also going through a hard time? You don’t have to look very far. Then will you ask him to show you something tangible you can do? I never thought sewing teddy bears would be the turning point for me. God knows what will turn you around, too. As you refresh others, he will indeed refresh you.

One Year Bible Reading

Numbers 36:1—Deuteronomy 1:46; Luke 5:29–6:11; Psalm 66:1-20; Proverbs 11:24-26