The Beauty of Giving
From the perspective of my earthly father, I learned the beauty of giving at an early age. My father had a third-grade education and never acted like he was a poor man. He would invest in bonds and stocks and would always go for the best things in life. I remember playing outside with my childhood friends, and I watched my father give out dollar bills to all my friends. I have fond memories of him buying all of us ice cream from the neighborhood ice cream man. My father was a cheerful giver. Because of that, I can’t remember a time when we lacked anything. My father never professed to be a man of faith in my early childhood, but he truly demonstrated the beauty of giving. Because of that, he earned a reputation of spreading joy and love to others.
I fully understand there may be some who don’t have good memories of their earthly fathers. But, thank God, Our Heavenly Father fills that void to those who will receive the beauty of His gift, which is Jesus Christ. 1 John 3:16-18 says, “This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers and sisters. If anyone has material possessions and sees a brother or sister in need, but has not pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person?” The lesson to learn from this passage is let’s not love with words or speech, but with actions and in truth, with the help of Jesus Christ who lives in us.
