You Want It? Give It Away.

Is there something you want? Give it away. I’m realizing that we are made up of what we give away. We receive from others what we give to others. Yet, sometimes giving away the very thing we want is so very hard to do! If I don’t have it, how can I give it away? Well, you can.

Think about it this way:

I want my son back. Then I should let him go and give him to God.

I want compassion. Then I should be compassionate to others.

I want love. Then I should love others.

I want to be knowledgeable. Then I should teach others.

I want to be successful. Then I should help others succeed.

I want wealth. Then I should give money away.

I want to be understood. Then I should listen to and understand others.

I want my boss to support me. Then I should better support my boss.

I want others to speak highly of me. Then I should speak highly of others.

I want my child to have good morals. Then I should ensure she lives in a home with good morals.

Giving away what we need or want retrains our focus and replaces our need to receive it from others. Many times, it’s not in the receiving but in the giving that our void is filled. And sometimes, we don’t always get what we want exactly as we want it.

I will not get Hank back in this life, at least not in the way that I want. But I will get eternity with him in Heaven when my time in this life comes to an end. We are not promised financial wealth by giving money away, but we do experience a rich life when we give generously.

Our motivation to give away what we want is not because we are guaranteed to get that same thing back in return. No, it’s not that simple. I’ve found the blessings we gain in the giving generate a far greater reward than the simple thing we wanted in the first place. Sometimes it takes patience. Sometimes it comes in a feeling of peace. Sometimes it brings a new perspective.

Instead of looking for what you can get, focus on giving it away instead and see what gaps are filled inside of you.