The Power of Giving
It
was a really hot summer's day many years ago. I was on my way to pick
up two items at the grocery store. In those days, I was a frequent
visitor to the supermarket because there never seemed to be enough
money for a whole week's food-shopping at once.
You see, my
young wife, after a tragic battle with cancer, had died just a few
months earlier. There was no insurance -- just many expenses and a
mountain of bills. I held a part-time job, which barely generated
enough money to feed my two young children.
Things were bad -- really bad.
And
so it was that day, with a heavy heart and four dollars in my pocket, I
was on my way to the supermarket to purchase a gallon of milk and a
loaf of bread. The children were hungry and I had to get them something
to eat. As I came to a red traffic light, I noticed on my right a young
man, a young woman and a child on the grass next to the road. The
blistering noonday sun beat down on them without mercy.
The man
held up a cardboard sign which read, "Will Work for Food." The woman
stood next to him. She just stared at the cars stopped at the red
light. The child, probably about two years old, sat on the grass
holding a one-armed doll. I noticed all this in the thirty seconds it
took for the traffic light to change to green.
I wanted so
desperately to give them a few dollars, but if I did that, there
wouldn't be enough left to buy the milk and bread. Four dollars will
only go so far. As the light changed, I took one last glance at the
three of them and sped off feeling both guilty (for not helping them)
and sad (because I didn't have enough money to share with them).
As
I kept driving, I couldn't get the picture of the three of them out of
my mind. The sad, haunting eyes of the young man and his family stayed
with me for about a mile. I could take it no longer. I felt their pain
and had to do something about it. I turned around and drove back to
where I had last seen them.
I pulled up close to them and
handed the man two of my four dollars. There were tears in his eyes as
he thanked me. I smiled and drove on to the supermarket. Perhaps both
milk and bread would be on sale, I thought. And what if I only got milk
alone, or just the bread? Well, it would have to do.
I pulled
into the parking lot, still thinking about the whole incident, yet
feeling good about what I had done. As I stepped out of the car, my
foot slid on something on the pavement. There by my feet was a
twenty-dollar bill. I just couldn't believe it. I looked all around,
picked it up with awe, went into the store and purchased not only bread
and milk, but several other items I desperately needed.
I
never forgot that incident. It reminded me that the universe was
strange and mysterious. It confirmed my belief that you could never out
give the universe. I gave away two dollars and got twenty in return. On
my way back from the supermarket, I drove by the hungry family and
shared five additional dollars with them.
This incident is
only one of many that have occurred in my life. It seems that the more
we give, the more we get. It is, perhaps, one of those universal laws
that say, "If you want to receive, you must first give."
There is a little rhyme that goes like this:
"A man there was, and they called him mad,
The more he gave, the more he had."
Most
times, we think that we don't have anything to give. Yet, if we look
more closely, we'll see that even the little we have could be shared
with others. Let us not wait for a time when we think we'll have lots
and then we'll give. By giving and sharing the little we have, we open
up the storehouse of the universe and permit rivers of good to come our
way.
Don't take my word for it. Just honestly try to give and
you'll be surprised at the results. Generally, the returns do not come
back from those we give to. It comes back from sources we could hardly
imagine. So give your way to riches.
Sometimes the return from
giving happens very quickly as in the true story above. Other times, it
takes much longer. But be assured of this: Give and you will receive --
and you'll receive lots more than you ever gave.
And when you
give, don't do it with a heart of fear, but with a heart full of
gratitude. You will be amazed at how it all works out.
Open the gates of affluence in your life by giving a bit of what you
have to those in need. As the great Teacher said, .Give and it will be
given unto you..
Try it. You'll like it.
It
was a really hot summer's day many years ago. I was on my way to pick
up two items at the grocery store. In those days, I was a frequent
visitor to the supermarket because there never seemed to be enough
money for a whole week's food-shopping at once.
You see, my
young wife, after a tragic battle with cancer, had died just a few
months earlier. There was no insurance -- just many expenses and a
mountain of bills. I held a part-time job, which barely generated
enough money to feed my two young children.
Things were bad -- really bad.
And
so it was that day, with a heavy heart and four dollars in my pocket, I
was on my way to the supermarket to purchase a gallon of milk and a
loaf of bread. The children were hungry and I had to get them something
to eat. As I came to a red traffic light, I noticed on my right a young
man, a young woman and a child on the grass next to the road. The
blistering noonday sun beat down on them without mercy.
The man
held up a cardboard sign which read, "Will Work for Food." The woman
stood next to him. She just stared at the cars stopped at the red
light. The child, probably about two years old, sat on the grass
holding a one-armed doll. I noticed all this in the thirty seconds it
took for the traffic light to change to green.
I wanted so
desperately to give them a few dollars, but if I did that, there
wouldn't be enough left to buy the milk and bread. Four dollars will
only go so far. As the light changed, I took one last glance at the
three of them and sped off feeling both guilty (for not helping them)
and sad (because I didn't have enough money to share with them).
As
I kept driving, I couldn't get the picture of the three of them out of
my mind. The sad, haunting eyes of the young man and his family stayed
with me for about a mile. I could take it no longer. I felt their pain
and had to do something about it. I turned around and drove back to
where I had last seen them.
I pulled up close to them and
handed the man two of my four dollars. There were tears in his eyes as
he thanked me. I smiled and drove on to the supermarket. Perhaps both
milk and bread would be on sale, I thought. And what if I only got milk
alone, or just the bread? Well, it would have to do.
I pulled
into the parking lot, still thinking about the whole incident, yet
feeling good about what I had done. As I stepped out of the car, my
foot slid on something on the pavement. There by my feet was a
twenty-dollar bill. I just couldn't believe it. I looked all around,
picked it up with awe, went into the store and purchased not only bread
and milk, but several other items I desperately needed.
I
never forgot that incident. It reminded me that the universe was
strange and mysterious. It confirmed my belief that you could never out
give the universe. I gave away two dollars and got twenty in return. On
my way back from the supermarket, I drove by the hungry family and
shared five additional dollars with them.
This incident is
only one of many that have occurred in my life. It seems that the more
we give, the more we get. It is, perhaps, one of those universal laws
that say, "If you want to receive, you must first give."
There is a little rhyme that goes like this:
"A man there was, and they called him mad,
The more he gave, the more he had."
Most
times, we think that we don't have anything to give. Yet, if we look
more closely, we'll see that even the little we have could be shared
with others. Let us not wait for a time when we think we'll have lots
and then we'll give. By giving and sharing the little we have, we open
up the storehouse of the universe and permit rivers of good to come our
way.
Don't take my word for it. Just honestly try to give and
you'll be surprised at the results. Generally, the returns do not come
back from those we give to. It comes back from sources we could hardly
imagine. So give your way to riches.
Sometimes the return from
giving happens very quickly as in the true story above. Other times, it
takes much longer. But be assured of this: Give and you will receive --
and you'll receive lots more than you ever gave.
And when you
give, don't do it with a heart of fear, but with a heart full of
gratitude. You will be amazed at how it all works out.
Open the gates of affluence in your life by giving a bit of what you
have to those in need. As the great Teacher said, .Give and it will be
given unto you..
Try it. You'll like it.
herez d 2nd +k of d day... keep postin such nice posts... 
