It is more blessed to give

It is a pleasure for me to give something as gifts to others.

I love to give to the rich and the poor. But I seldom get an opportunity to gift the rich. And I have never experienced the joy of giving with rich people. Their expression of joy and gratitude are often pretensions. 

So people poorer than me are the recipients.

I feel an extreme joy by giving a gift to them. I love to see their eyes shine and their face lighten up. I am sure that something more than the value of my gifts pleases them – it is the thought that someone cares for them.

Once my wife’s sister who is USA asked: if it will do any good by sending old clothes of their children to us. We readily accepted the offer. Their children live in a richer country than us. Their clothes are called ‘old’ by the American standard. Many of them were used only once or twice.

So they send it by another Indian who came down to India. It was a large box of children’s clothes. We opened it and felt sad that we have grown up; otherwise we could use them all.

We took those clothes and distributed all in a suburb area where poor people lives. Parents and children were amazed to see “new” American clothes distributed freely among them. We saw their eyes shining, their face gleaming. Nothing has given us joy beyond that.

Many a time after that we have seen those kids walking by the road before our residence to ‘important functions’ wearing those American clothes. They walked proudly, because they were wearing neat American fashionable clothes. They never forget to glance at our house and smile at us. It is ‘thank you one again.’

It is joy. It is a fulfillment of life. It is satisfaction. It is doing something worth in life. It is imparting more happiness than we really enjoy.

What have we lost? What have we spent? Nothing worth; only a few rupees for picking up the box full of clothes from the bearer of it. What my American relative lost? Only a few minutes for packing up all those in a box. What have we gained? Something that cannot be bought otherwise. Pure happiness and pleasant peace.

I am not so rich; otherwise I could give more costly things to the poor. I cannot purchase residential plots and construct houses for the poor. I wish I could, but I am not that much rich. What I can do, I did. I am satisfied.

Before some years, I decided to purchase a new television. My old television was working properly and gave us beautiful pictures. But it was a small with an old technology. So I contacted some dealers. They offered to give me an ‘exchange price’ for the old television if I buy a new one from them. That would save me some money.

One evening I visited an electronic shop for fixing the deal with a friend. While we were taking about the deal and the exchange price for the old television, my friend asked me if I can give the old television to a poor family residing near his house. There are children of the age of my children. They are praying for a television for quite a few months.

If I exchange the old television with the dealer, I could get save some money in purchasing a new one. If I give the television to the poor family, their prayers will be answered. As long as it works properly, my gift will be there in their house. How happy will be the children. They have the same feelings, wishes, aspirations and dreams like that of my children.

I have never seen them before or after. I did not try to meet them. A personal indebtedness is not necessary.

So I entrusted the old television to my friend, got a taxi cab to carry it and asked him to give it to that poor children before I buy a new one.

I imagine their joy when they see a television reaching them at an unexpected moment.

There after I never exchanged any old household things with dealers. When I wish to buy a new one replacing my old household article, I find a poor family and give the old to them as a gift.

It is a blessing. It returns.

It is joy beyond description.

It gives us a feeling that we are living.

I have something more to say on this subject. I shall continue in another blog.

"I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (The Bible, Acts 20:35)

Further reading:
Help the poor without a thick pocket

  

Professor Jacob Abraham                                                                            

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