Joy Is In The Giving

Christmas is the time of year when we think about being generous to others. I attend Two Rivers Church in Johnson City and recently they had a message about being generous with your time and money.

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It's amazing that when you're generous with either, it comes back to you ten-fold. I'm not talking about a prosperity gospel kind of thing, just the way that it comes back to you. Some call it karma, I call it a God-wink.

I know a 17-year-old girl who had kidney failure and is now awaiting a kidney transplant. She's been brave and hasn't given up and that's an inspiration to me. I've said prayers for her but sometimes, you need to add action to your prayers.

I gave her some money that she could use for gas money for her trips to Syracuse or any other way that she saw fit. This is where the karma/God-wink came into play. I was driving back from a basketball game and I was about a mile from her home.

I said to myself out loud (Yes, I was alone), "Show me a sign, if I should stop and give her some more money." It was 8:40 at night and 30 degrees out and when I drove by her house, there it was.

Joy Is In The Giving

I saw her mom standing on the porch with the light on...if that's not a sign then I don't know what is. I stopped and gave her a couple of bucks and went on my way. Here's where the generosity comes back nearly ten-fold.

I ran into a friend of mine (Jeff), the next morning and I told him the story about the girl (that is my daughter's age) and what she's going through, and how I was given a sign to stop. He says to me, "Glenn, I've got a story for you."

Two weeks ago, he found 100 dollars lying on the ground. Since it was found money, he wasn't going to keep it and was waiting for his own sign. He knew that this was his sign and gave me the hundred bucks to give to her the next time that I went by her place.

BOOM! Mind blown. There is so much more to this story but you wouldn't believe me if I tried to explain it. So if you're looking for something that can bring you some joy this Christmas season (or any time), try being generous. They say that joy is in the giving and it's amazing how much more joy you'll get back.