Giving should be fun. That’s the key thing to remember about giving. When you are young it is hard to get your head round the idea that ‘it is better to give than to receive.’ How on earth is that possible? To give something away is better than receiving it?! ‘Hardly’, said the ten year old me, ‘Now give me some more Lego.’
But as you grow older you realise that giving IS more fun than receiving. And the feeling grows even more when you are really helping someone. Compassion is raising money to help children in poverty over Christmas. If you want to you can buy gifts from the Compassion catalogue to help. https://www.compassion.com/catalog.htm?referer=128060.
Giving is a practical demonstration of love. We buy presents for those people we love. When we increase the circle of people to whom we give it actually makes us feel better. And the recipient gets a gift that can in these situations change their lives. It is a win-win situation. Counter-intuitively to the ten year old, it is the giver who gets most out of the deal. As Dr Maya Angelou has said, ‘I have found that among its other benefits, giving liberates the soul of the giver.’
There’s no reason why giving should be limited to Christmas, but as everyone is talking gifts at this time of year why not spread some extra joy about?!
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