| Acts 20:35 – “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” |
Where can we find happiness and contentment in our lives?
The 1960s counterculture shouted, “find yourself.” Yet, in the pursuit, many got lost.
It’s easy look for contentment in all the wrong places.
Perhaps, we should look in a different place.
John Grisham, known for his legal page-turners, wrote a Christmas story, one of my favorites. It gives a bite-sized image of contemporary suburban life.
The story is about a family at Christmas. They are middle-aged couple trying to cope with the empty nest. His daughter had joined the Peace Corps, and they had no family at home.
The man had grown tired of the hoopla of Christmas and decided to skip Christmas. Instead of spending on others, spend it on yourself. Take a cruise.
Needless to say, this raised the catcall of Scrooge from friends.
In a twist, his daughter was coming home after all. His dreams died. Now, on Christmas Even he had to undo his “skipping Christmas” and find all trees, food, and outdoor decorations.
He was hurt, disappointed, and angry. But he saw something different. His elderly neighbors struggled with age and a cancer diagnosis.
In the end, he gives the cruise to them as a gift.
In the end, he found that one thing eclipsed the anticipation of the cruise. It was the joy of giving to others.
Life hands us moments when we think, “If I could just get what I want, I would be happy.”
Some get a dream job and find it a prison.
Others gain a promotion that takes them away from their family.
The great tragedy in life is that you get what you want.
Paul gave a proverb, the source of which is Jesus, although we never read it in the gospels. We know of its truth verified over millennia.
He was seeing people for the last time. He had much to say to them.
At Ephesus, that church that seemed to be tied to Paul, he met with the elders. He reminded them of many things.
But the one thing he did tell them was:
“In all things I have shown you that by working hard in this way we must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ” (Acts 20:35, ESV)
When you get what you want, you are happy. But when you give who you are, you have joy. Which would you choose?
–Robert G. Taylor
robertgtaylor.com
