Giving and Getting

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he says, “For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself” (Galatians 5:14). It is interesting that Paul says that the law can be described in one word and then gives a whole sentence. But I think he does this for emphasis. He uses a sentence, but wants us to understand that it is one word in that sentence that is important: love. We are to love our neighbor, but Jesus later gave a new commandment that we aren’t to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, but we are to love each other as he loved us. (See John 13:34).

One of the ways we can fulfill this commandment is to make sure that anyone we encounter goes away with a gift. That gift can be a smile, an encouraging word, having had someone listen to them, a compliment, or any number of kind gestures or words. The surprising thing is how much fun it makes your own life to contemplate as you encounter anyone on what you can give them. The real joy comes when you approach a clerk in a store or a stranger who looks overburdened or sad and smile or say something nice and then watch as their countenance changes.

 I’ve never figured out who gets the most out of this giving—me or the other person. All I know is that it fills my day with love!