Hello everyone...this is quite unusual for me...writing in the middle of the afternoon!! However, commitments for early morning sort of took precedence over how I would MUCH rather be spending my time in assertive creative pursuits!!
Okay...let's get down to business...shall we?
Let's talk about "giving" and "contribution." Both of these to me have a very similar, if not the same meaning. How many times when we do our spring cleaning do we put aside clothes that don't fit that are still in good condition...maybe our closets and cupboards begin to get cluttered with years of accumulation that we decide one day we are going to sort out and thin a bit? What is the first thing we think when we do this? I wonder who could use this and that...maybe I can give these clothes that are still in very good condition to someone who could use them...etc?? This is NOT the type of giving and contribution I wish to address. This is exactly the "opposite" of the message I wish to convey this afternoon to you.
To really GIVE...is to perceive or KNOW a need and MEET that need according TO that need. It is to offer up something to a cause, a situation, a relationship because it really MATTERS TO YOU. It is not enough to give something away that you no longer have any USE for or that is "cluttering up your life"---as now this "thing" that you give away has no real meaning to you.
I feel that a genuine contribution is made of something that YOU love...something that you WISH another to have....something that may require you to work a little, dig down into your heart a bit to materialize for them. It is something that requires you to feel more for another or a situation than yourself and ultimately calls for a sacrifice on your part. AND...most importantly, it HAS to MEET the NEED...not necessarily just what you "feel comfortable" with giving or "want" to give--because if this is the case...then you are not really giving anything AT ALL.
A cheerful giver is one who sees a need and FILLS it accordingly...regardless of how much work is involved, how much time it takes, or how much they may lose in the process. The purest contribution is one where the contribution gets literally LOST and becomes unrecognized in the essence and manifestation of the GREATEST potential of the cause itself. It is not about taking credit, being recognized for YOUR contribution...the (I will say it again) manifestation of the greatest potential of whomever you give to or whatever you give to is the GIFT that the cheerful giver receives in RETURN. It is not about setting up networks of praise and notoriety for a "later time" or about making anyone else look bad because "what we chose to GIVE them just wasn't GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM." It is literally doing YOUR part in something you believe in and love to lift that "thing" up, allow it to take center stage and watch IT shine.
As I type, a scripture I've read resonates in my mind (and I have to Google it to get an exact quote)..."But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."~Matthew 6:3. I believe this is what this means...only "poor" means "those in or that of need or weakness."
There are many examples I could use to drive this message...because I have a CRAZY amount of flowers planted in pots and all around my house...I will use them. I LOVE flowers...I love the vibrant colors of some, and the muted tones of others...and I like ALL colors. I love the different scents they give off and I love the different textures that contrast with one another. When I plant them...I have already made a commitment to care for them...and if I love them so...why wouldn't I want to do that? Why wouldn't I want to make sure that they had everything they needed to bloom and grow to their most beautiful and full potential? I am certainly not going to "wait for nature" to care for them...as we have had some pretty draughty conditions here...they would shrivel up and die...and I am not going to nourish them with milk (even though it's good enough to nourish ME). I am going to sacrifice a space in my day JUST for them. I am going to traipse back and forth from the house with my watering can filled up and CONSISTENTLY give them what they NEED when they need it...which is EVERY DAY. I am not only going to just water them...but I am going to pluck off all of the dead heads of the blooms and any dead growth that may be sucking vital nutrients so that the healthy becomes healthier...and the place in which I plant them is going to be cohesive to the amount of sunlight they need in order to flourish...and I will say it again...manifest their greatest potential. And guess what...all of the planting, time, sacrifice, daily watering and tending is LOST and unrecognizable...in the end, the greatest potential BELONGS to them-the praise of beauty belongs to THEM.
In the matter of raising my children...I gave what they needed...regardless of time, space, money, what I lacked...because in the end, I wanted them to SHINE. When someone "compliments" ME on my children's behavior or how they "turned out"...I immediately dismiss any credit...and politely remind them that I really had very little to do with how they turned out. I merely gave them an example to follow and provided for their needs---they didn't have to follow it--they have their own minds, and have CHOSEN themselves to be the people they are.
To truly give is to completely RESIST any reflection of what you have given on yourself--for any reason. The reward and treasure is in doing your part, honoring your commitments, and standing in the background while what you choose to nurture and make your contribution to soars to its highest heights...this should be GIFT enough if you really care about what you put your heart, soul, and time into. In essence, we fulfill our very own spiritual needs by standing in the gap, holding up the weak, working on the broken, strengthening what already has the potential to be strong in its own right--for no other reason than it means something to you...you love it...you want to do your best for it...etc.
"Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy; true fulfillment."~Tony Robbins.
"There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow man. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well."~Walter Reuther.
Well, that's it for today....
It's getting about time to go grocery shopping and it is too beautiful a day to waste!!
Okay...let's get down to business...shall we?
Let's talk about "giving" and "contribution." Both of these to me have a very similar, if not the same meaning. How many times when we do our spring cleaning do we put aside clothes that don't fit that are still in good condition...maybe our closets and cupboards begin to get cluttered with years of accumulation that we decide one day we are going to sort out and thin a bit? What is the first thing we think when we do this? I wonder who could use this and that...maybe I can give these clothes that are still in very good condition to someone who could use them...etc?? This is NOT the type of giving and contribution I wish to address. This is exactly the "opposite" of the message I wish to convey this afternoon to you.
To really GIVE...is to perceive or KNOW a need and MEET that need according TO that need. It is to offer up something to a cause, a situation, a relationship because it really MATTERS TO YOU. It is not enough to give something away that you no longer have any USE for or that is "cluttering up your life"---as now this "thing" that you give away has no real meaning to you.
I feel that a genuine contribution is made of something that YOU love...something that you WISH another to have....something that may require you to work a little, dig down into your heart a bit to materialize for them. It is something that requires you to feel more for another or a situation than yourself and ultimately calls for a sacrifice on your part. AND...most importantly, it HAS to MEET the NEED...not necessarily just what you "feel comfortable" with giving or "want" to give--because if this is the case...then you are not really giving anything AT ALL.
A cheerful giver is one who sees a need and FILLS it accordingly...regardless of how much work is involved, how much time it takes, or how much they may lose in the process. The purest contribution is one where the contribution gets literally LOST and becomes unrecognized in the essence and manifestation of the GREATEST potential of the cause itself. It is not about taking credit, being recognized for YOUR contribution...the (I will say it again) manifestation of the greatest potential of whomever you give to or whatever you give to is the GIFT that the cheerful giver receives in RETURN. It is not about setting up networks of praise and notoriety for a "later time" or about making anyone else look bad because "what we chose to GIVE them just wasn't GOOD ENOUGH FOR THEM." It is literally doing YOUR part in something you believe in and love to lift that "thing" up, allow it to take center stage and watch IT shine.
As I type, a scripture I've read resonates in my mind (and I have to Google it to get an exact quote)..."But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing."~Matthew 6:3. I believe this is what this means...only "poor" means "those in or that of need or weakness."
There are many examples I could use to drive this message...because I have a CRAZY amount of flowers planted in pots and all around my house...I will use them. I LOVE flowers...I love the vibrant colors of some, and the muted tones of others...and I like ALL colors. I love the different scents they give off and I love the different textures that contrast with one another. When I plant them...I have already made a commitment to care for them...and if I love them so...why wouldn't I want to do that? Why wouldn't I want to make sure that they had everything they needed to bloom and grow to their most beautiful and full potential? I am certainly not going to "wait for nature" to care for them...as we have had some pretty draughty conditions here...they would shrivel up and die...and I am not going to nourish them with milk (even though it's good enough to nourish ME). I am going to sacrifice a space in my day JUST for them. I am going to traipse back and forth from the house with my watering can filled up and CONSISTENTLY give them what they NEED when they need it...which is EVERY DAY. I am not only going to just water them...but I am going to pluck off all of the dead heads of the blooms and any dead growth that may be sucking vital nutrients so that the healthy becomes healthier...and the place in which I plant them is going to be cohesive to the amount of sunlight they need in order to flourish...and I will say it again...manifest their greatest potential. And guess what...all of the planting, time, sacrifice, daily watering and tending is LOST and unrecognizable...in the end, the greatest potential BELONGS to them-the praise of beauty belongs to THEM.
In the matter of raising my children...I gave what they needed...regardless of time, space, money, what I lacked...because in the end, I wanted them to SHINE. When someone "compliments" ME on my children's behavior or how they "turned out"...I immediately dismiss any credit...and politely remind them that I really had very little to do with how they turned out. I merely gave them an example to follow and provided for their needs---they didn't have to follow it--they have their own minds, and have CHOSEN themselves to be the people they are.
To truly give is to completely RESIST any reflection of what you have given on yourself--for any reason. The reward and treasure is in doing your part, honoring your commitments, and standing in the background while what you choose to nurture and make your contribution to soars to its highest heights...this should be GIFT enough if you really care about what you put your heart, soul, and time into. In essence, we fulfill our very own spiritual needs by standing in the gap, holding up the weak, working on the broken, strengthening what already has the potential to be strong in its own right--for no other reason than it means something to you...you love it...you want to do your best for it...etc.
"Only those who have learned the power of sincere and selfless contribution experience life's deepest joy; true fulfillment."~Tony Robbins.
"There is no greater calling than to serve your fellow man. There is no greater contribution than to help the weak. There is no greater satisfaction than to have done it well."~Walter Reuther.
Well, that's it for today....
It's getting about time to go grocery shopping and it is too beautiful a day to waste!!
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