Do you really believe what Jesus said: “It is more blessed to give than to receive”? Is that just “preacher talk”, or is it true? I know Jesus said it, but every nerve in me says I would rather receive $50 than give it away.
A true story from the late 1960’s confirms that it can be better to give than to receive. Paul Fuller (his real name) learned the lesson by the following experience that took place in a mid-western city.
Paul, a young man “on the way up” in business, came out of his office to find a street urchin walking around the shiny new car Paul had received for his 24th birthday. “Is this your car, mister?” asked the boy. Paul nodded and said, “My brother gave it to me for my birthday.” With an astonished look the boy said, “You mean he just gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything? I wish…”
He hesitated and Paul knew what he was going to say – he was going to say he wished he had a brother like that. But what that boy actually did say took Paul’s breath away. “I wish…” the boy went on, “I wish I could be a brother like that.”
Paul was so surprised he didn’t know what to say. Looking at the boy he said, “Would you like to ride in my automobile?” “Oh, yes” the boy replied quickly. They had hardly started the ride when the boy turned to Paul with eyes bright and said, “Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?” Paul thought he knew what he wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors and friends that he could ride in a big, shiny new car.
But Paul was wrong again. “Will youstop right there where the steps are?” the boy asked. He ran up the steps and in a moment Paul heard him coming back. He was not coming fast; he was holding his little brother who, carrying a crutch, was crippled with Polio.
The big brother sat him down on the bottom step, then squeezed up close to him and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Bobby, just like I told you. This man’s brother just gave it to him. And it didn’t cost him a cent. Someday I’m going to give you one just like it, and then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the store windows I have been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the smaller boy and his crutch to the front seat of the car. The older brother, his eyes gleaming, climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable joy ride.
That night, going over the events of the day, Paul realized for the first time what Jesus meant when He said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive,” Acts 20:35.
This will not be the first time we have learned a significant lesson from our children rather than the authors of “books.” Nothing in the facts indicates the older brother had been taught this principle, but it existed in his child-like mind. He loved his brother. He knew his little brother was not able to do the things others could do. Without being hindered by selfish, me-first attitudes, this young boy learned and practiced that which so many of us miss because of our selfish ways and our culture’s emphasis upon “things”, Luke 12:13-21.
The lesson we learn from this true story is not so much a “giving” lesson as it is a “loving” lesson. The older brother loved his little brother, and he knew his brother needed him, and that there was joy, a genuine thrill in giving that went beyond what he had experienced in the past.
Lessons like this seldom come merely by reading articles like this one, but by watching and observing the love of a brother, another child or seeing the love of a mother or a father. And, what a pleasant, life-changing lesson it can be!
Those who are knowledgeable in the field of child rearing tell us that “a child naturally seeks his own best interests. A child is selfish because he is a child.” Selflessness, they say, “must be learned.” To be selfless a child must be taught, and taught by actions, not mere words.
Have you noticed how excited a child can become when the gift they brought to the birthday party is being opened? They have learned the joy of giving! And even more so if he wrapped it all by himself. Such a lesson, once learned, will not easily be forgotten or ignored.
The Bible describes the “giver” God wants, and it is a “cheerful giver,” not one who gives only out of necessity or grudgingly. Jesus met a woman whose gift was small when compared to others, but was great because it came from a heart of generosity, Mark 12:42-43.
In
2 Corinthians 9:6 we are told that one who is stingy, who gives little, is like a farmer who sows just a few seeds yet expects a bountiful harvest. God
“loveth a cheerful giver.” Yes, to give
is more blessed than to receive, but that is a lesson you have to learn for yourself.
