He says there is nobody so poor that he cannot give, there is nobody so rich that he has nothing to receive.
These words offer us a powerful direction for all who want to work for peace and harmony and a society where we see one another as family. No such visions are possible as long as the world remains divided into two groups , those who give and those who receive.
Real human dignity is found in giving and receiving, receiving is just as important, because by receiving we reveal to the giver that they have gifts to offer. Giving is very important specially giving insight, giving hope, giving courage, giving support and giving of ourselves and time.
A little girl said to her friend “when you say thank you, you give me reason to live, you allow me to realise my dreams, and you make me aware of my unique precious gift of myself”. So true! Robertson in his book “Free to be the human face of God” said sometimes it is only in the eyes of the receiver that the giver discovers their gifts.
A free lancer Carlos Luis puts it clearly when he said, there are umpteen individuals selling fruit and vegetables to make a daily living, how many times have we been sensitive to their plight and stopped to listen to them and their difficult stories. There are different ways of giving ourselves to people as explained by Carol in her book “The Other People”; forgo a day without television and visit a neighbour who may be is going through a rough patch in her/his life, parents give time to your children not just pocket money which doesn’t serve the purpose of building them into good human beings
Simple kind people are a source of grace!
Deepak Chopra talks about the art of giving: “Every relationship is one of give and take. Giving engenders receiving, and receiving engenders giving. What goes up must come down; what goes out must come back. In reality, receiving is the same thing as giving, because giving and receiving are different aspects of the flow of energy in the universe.”
Practising the art of giving is actually very simple: if you want joy, give joy to others; if you want love, learn to give love; if you want attention and appreciation, learn to give attention and appreciation; if you want material affluence, help others to become materially affluent.
By always giving back in your day, even if it’s a compliment to a friend, you’ll find life supports you in many ways.
We all need to give as well as receive; there is hardly a day in our lives we are not called to this and let’s be grateful for the little light we carry, the light of hope, love and compassion to others. I think we who believe in our reason for being on this earth, to make a difference to leave a legacy do carry this little light!
Plant flowers in others’ gardens and your life becomes a bouquet!
