“What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us; what we have done for others and the world remains and is immortal.” (Albert Pike)
With the necessary permission, the other day I was cleaning out the top of one of the closets in a previous bedroom, now converted into an office. That’s what empty nesters do, repurpose the use of space after the children move out. As I was cleaning, I found a box that was full of sports trading cards. Instead of throwing them away, I gave them to my great-grandson who just completed kindergarten. He had informed me months ago that he liked to collect trading cards. So, as you can imagine, he was excited and appreciative of the gift.
Some thoughts about giving came to mind. One of them was that giving not only benefits the giver and the recipient, but giving good gifts to others does much more. In the case of my great-grandson, who definitely wants to enter a technical field in the distant future, he will develop some applicable organizational skills as he establishes a system for storing the cards by sport, year, manufacturer, fame, etc. Also, he will not hesitate to be a giver himself. I have to tell you that before I gave him the trading cards, he gave me one of his gems from his collection of stones. I’m sure my gift reinforced the truth that giving to others is a good thing. He will not grow up to be a reluctant giver or a person who is always looking to receive. The benefit in his case goes further. As he demonstrates giving, others around him will see that giving something to others is a good thing. Consequently, like lined up dominos fall one after the other, starting with one pushed domino, my great-grandson’s giving will be perpetuated, possibly over generations. I’ve heard this saying before and I think it is fitting, “The gift that keeps on giving.” Giving will not stop with the trading cards.
Do you want to know something? Okay, I will tell you. When you received God’s gift that led to your assurance of eternal life, it should not end with you. Share the gift with someone else in your personal evangelism. Perpetuate the giving over generations to come. Have a tremendously good Thursday! Be blessed!
“For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16 New English Translation)
Committed to the climb,
Mark L. King