“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that
there will be food in my house. Test me
in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I may not throw open the
floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room
enough to store it.”
–Mal 3:10
Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for
food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the
harvest of your righteousness.
–2 Cor 9:10
Ezra Taft Benson (1899–1994), a government official
and religious leader wrote, “Our parents deserve our honor and respect for
giving us life itself. Beyond this they
almost made countless sacrifices as they cared for and nurtured us through our
infancy and childhood, provided us with the necessities of life, and nursed us
through physical illnesses and the emotional stresses of growing up.” As Proverbs 11:25 says, “A generous person
will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”
Henri Nouwen (1932–1996), a Dutch Catholic
priest explained, “When we honestly ask ourselves which person in our lives
means the most to us, we often find it is those who, instead of giving advice,
solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds
with a warm and tender hand.” This is
what we can expect from loving families and friends.
Acts of Kindness
Matthew 6:2 reminds us: “So when you give to the
needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues
and on the streets, to be honored by others.
Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.” But how should we view acts of kindness? Paul Bloom (b. 1963), a Canadian American
psychologist said, “We are constituted so that simple acts of kindness, such as
giving to charity or expressing gratitude, have a positive effect on long-term
moods. The key to the happy life, it
seems, is the good life: a life with sustained relationships, challenging work,
and connections to community.”
A lot of this goodness can come from simple
acts. Rosa Parks (1913–2005) did just
that. She recalled, “People always say
that I didn’t give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn’t true. I was not tired physically… No, the only tired
I was, was tired of giving in.” Parks’
actions came to have unbelievable social consequences.
Giving Back
A philanthropist Ron Conway (b. 1951) wrote, “I
believe we all have a responsibility to give back. No one becomes successful without lots of
hard work, support from others, and a little luck. Giving back creates a virtuous cycle that
makes everyone more successful.” Was
this the best in us that Colonel Sanders (1890–1980), a businessman was speaking about? Sanders was referring to his gifts when he stated, “No hours, nor amount of labor, nor amount of
money would deter me from giving the best that there was in me.”
Simon Sinek (b. 1973), an author saw that friendship
as important in this equation. He wrote,
“The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is
not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship is grounded in a feeling
that you know exactly who will be there for you when you need something, no
matter what or when.”
