In the 20th chapter, verse 35 of the New Testament Book of Acts, authored by Doctor Luke, it is written: “In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ “
Related directly to this, Jerry Del Colliano … who worked for me 50 years ago in his first job in radio while a college student and went on to be a radio station program director, industry newsletter publisher and college professor … wrote recently in his daily blog:
Polls that show if you were given money to spend on yourself or another person, you would derive more happiness from spending it on someone other than you.
Even in cases where gifts have been given in the name of a donor who was then recognized for the giving publicly such as having a building named for them, the act of giving away the gift for others have scores higher than spending it on ourselves.
In no case, no study, and no research does spending money on ourselves bring happiness.
In giving you receive.
I share this because last week I came across a letter from a dear friend of mine, Jim Weinraub, who served as a mentor to me in teaching. Just prior to Jim writing the letter, I was awarded a gift by our peers as recognition for the things this man taught me.
I then rose to my feet to accept the award and surprised everyone by presenting it to him.
I have never missed keeping the award.
In his letter, he said he would cherish the award until the day he died.
Several years ago he died.
And now I have another thoughtful gift from someone who understood that only giving makes us truly happy – his gratitude forever.
© Jerry Del Colliano
If you’re visiting this website, I’m sure you recognize that when you give to someone in need, the heart-warming feeling that you feel is without a doubt greater than when someone else presents a gift to you. Just as I finished typing that thought, it dawned on me that there’s been a couple of occasions where I was gifted with something that shook my whole being – in both cases that come to mind, they weren’t monetary, they were rewards from our great and loving God!
With that, I’ll leave you with a final thought from the Scriptures, from Chapter Six of the Gospel of Matthew: “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 men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Oh, the joys that come from giving … no matter what form it takes!
Marlin
