Giving. Is It Really Better??

They say giving is better than receiving, but any human knows how good it feels to get something, right? I mean, who doesn't like gifts or presents or surprises?! 

The fact of the matter though is that giving truly is better than receiving because when you give to someone, you actually do get something in return anyways. 

Some people scoff at the notion of "the joy of giving". In all sincerity, I was used to be one of those people! I thought, no way does it feel better to give something up than it does to get something. In my mind, giving something up meant being left with less for myself... but you can see why that in itself is a problem 🙄

See, for children of God, thinking of ones self above others is the total opposite of what we are called to do. The Scriptures literally tell us to love others as we love ourselves. So if we wouldn't be cheap or stingy when doing for ourselves, we have no place being that way when it comes to helping others.

Giving then, for followers of Christ, becomes a joyous occasion. When you really begin to value the joy and happiness of others, you want (more than putting a smile on your own face) to put a smile on someone else's face. That amazing feeling that you get when someone surprises you with a gift or a nice gesture suddenly becomes the reason you are able to so freely give without selfish reservation. You realize that your act of kindness is making someone else feel that wonderful joy, that you may have cheered them up, or that you may have brightened up their entire day or even their entire week simply by thinking of them instead of yourself. That is a feeling that lingers and carries on while temporary and momentary self indulgences are just that... temporary.

I'm not saying the joy that comes with giving happens overnight. It certainly didn't with me. But gradually, I found the Spirit leading me more and more to think outside of myself. One act of generosity led to another, and then another, and soon I began to feel this incredible feeling of jubilation each time I gave from the heart to others. Knowing that I contributed to giving someone something that they may have otherwise been unable to obtain became a true gift in itself. 

So yes, giving, in my humble opinion, is better than receiving because when you give, you are actually gifted with something special that cannot be bought or sold... The building of character that embodies the fruits of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23)