Givers Gain

Givers Gain

An essay written in Luna, Apayao during my OWWA seminar to OFWs. June 17, 2009

“One can only give so much.” I blurted this in the seminar and I soon as I said it, I started thinking about it. Should giving have a limit? Can one give too much? Why should giving have limits? I remembered the other day there was this young boy on the street asking for money and while we are told not to give money to keep them off the streets, I had some packs of crackers in the car so I gave the kid one pack of Sunflower crackers. This other kid saw me and asked for one too and I said I gave your brother already. I felt he wanted to ask because he saw me give the other kid. Maybe he was taking advantage of my goodness. Immediately I asked myself why did I not just give him one too? I would give another kid in another corner why not give two or three kids in one corner. So what if they told all the kids in that corner? This got me thinking about the other areas of my life where giving was sometimes limited and conditional.

Few give just to give. Why not be a committed giver. Give till it hurts. No, give even if it hurts. By why should it hurt? Be a joyful giver. They say that Givers Gain, The more you give the more you receive. So you can give some more, then it becomes a giving cycle, Never ending and full of life like the Sea of Galilee. The Jordan River leads to the Sea of Galilee and the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea does not have life in it. The water that comes from the Jordan River stays in the Dead Sea. The Sea of Galilee is alive and full of flora and fauna because the water it receives also flows to other rivers. The bible says to give ten per cent and it will come back to you a thousandfold. But giving is its own reward. Find a way to give. There are so many ways of giving. There is the church. There are foundations and organizations with causes that you might believe in. And it is not only money that you can give. You can contribute time and labor. Spend some days taking care of the elderly and sick in one of the many Mother Theresa Homes. Build a house for Gawad Kalinga. And of course charity begins at home, so do not forget to give to your own family.

Whenever I give I feel good about giving. But do not take my word for it. Try it. If it doesn’t work, stop giving. But if it works then keep on giving and tell people about it. One day we will have a world full of givers. Now that’s a nice thought.