GIVE TO LIVE

 The man who gets but never gives May last for years but never lives.

There is a story told of a pig and a cow who lived on a farm. The pig lamented that, although he was as useful to the farmer as the cow, the farmer appreciated the cow more. “My meat is used to make delicious sorpotel and bristles used to make brushes,” he said “So how come you are given a nice clean shed while I have to wallow in this mud.” The cow looked patiently at the poor perplexed pig and said, “Well, that is true, but the difference may be that you give only after you die and I give while I’m still living.”

When we are born, and we are all born helpless, we are received into the arms of two people who have made a commitment to only give. Our mother and father. We need to only give out a loud cry and they are at our mercy. The sacrifice they put ensures our security. 

As we grow and keep getting from them, we learn at one point that we must also return the gesture and give back. But few really do. Becoming a ‘giver’ from being a ‘taker’ requires great effort and sacrifice.

I read once that there are seven types of givers-

· Auto-givers: Give to themselves only.

· Occasional Givers: Give thoughtlessly, without any high motive.

· Penitential Givers: Give as sop to their conscience, as atonement for the evil they do.

· Theatrical Givers: Give to display and win public applause.

· Conventional Givers: Give because others give, because they are expected to give.

· Moral Givers: Give through a sense of duty and not through love.

· Spiritual Givers: Give because they love the other person as themselves and desire to help them.

The human heart is the richest mine in the world! Giving yourself to the world by your loving words, thoughts and actions is true generosity. 

Often, the moment we talk of giving, people misunderstand. They think “She’s asking me to part with my money.” We are always in the habit of underrating ourselves, are we not? Is money all we can ever give the world? I am not talking about giving money although I guess everyone appreciates a donation or a loan. I am talking only about giving of yourself to the world. 

The world is full of people who need you. Your family at home, for one. Do you realize that if you die, your boss will replace you in a week’s time, but your family will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. Yet you spend more time with your boss than with your family. I know that a job is important but is overtime necessary? Will the extra money you make by stealing time from your kids really keep them contented for long? Even at the office, you can still keep in touch with your family via phone calls, messages on the mobile.

Your relatives and friends form the second category of people you need to give to. Today life has become so ‘busy’ even though one is looking at a computer screen for hours, waiting for someone else to make the contact. But its so easy to give oneself through the computers via emails, forwards, photographs and for those with more time on their hands, there is Facebook to increase your circle of friends and discover more relatives out there than you knew you had.

The third category would have to be your neighbours - those living in your building or society and around in the community. You can judge your popularity by the number of smiles or nods of acknowledgement you get when you walk down your lane. Do you know these people well? Their names, what they do, etc. Can you count on your fingers the number of times you have reached out to help a neighbour? Maybe it was a distress call to take someone to the hospital or a fight that compelled you to intervene. You could visit an elderly person on your holiday; just an hour of your time would put a smile on his face for the whole week.

Few people get the opportunity to reach out to the wide populace - the poor, the needy, the troubled, the lonely, the angry, the desperate. For those who have the heart and can make the time from their ‘busy busy’ lives, this is the fourth category. Involve yourself in church activities, social action forums, NGOs. Be a volunteer in an aged home or an orphanage. There are always a dozen reasons for doing nothing- there is only one reason for doing something. And that’s because you want to.

A General of the Polish Army was outstandingly kind to the poor. One day an urgent message had to be sent and, as there were no other horses, the messenger was told to take the General’s horse. When he returned, the messenger told the General that when he went on an errand next, he would not take his horse because the steed insisted on stopping at every poor home and with every beggar along the way.

Give love. 

Give forgiveness.

Give a listening ear. 

Give time to your family. 

Give your spouse the faithfulness you promised on your wedding day. 

Give your child the freedom to choose and make its own way. Give the old a safe place to live and your caring touch. 

Give your neighbour a good neighbour.

In his diary, a humble blacksmith penned the following verse:

“What? Giving again?” I ask in dismay,

“And must I keep giving and giving away?”

“Oh, no,” said the angel, looking me through,

“Just keep giving till the Master stops giving to you.