Giving of Ourselves

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"Giving of Ourselves"

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.
-Kahlil Gibran

Yet another blessing of our new lives is being able to freely give of ourselves. We have learned to offer others what has come to mean the most to us-love, empathy, understanding, and kindness.

Needless to say, this knowledge and capability didn't come to us automatically. We first had to take actions to become self-aware and self-honest. For only by truly knowing and understanding ourselves are we able to know and understand others.

We also were taught that the only way to keep what we've received is to give it to others. Initially, we had no idea what that meant. Many of us felt we really had nothing to offer. In some cases, this approached the truth; we hadn't yet learned how to be loving, empathetic, understanding, and kind. Moreover, we had not yet gotten over our early physical and emotional "neediness"-it seemed far more important to receive than to give.

As time has passed and we have grown spiritually, we have found that the opposite is true. Today when we are generous of spirit, we receive far more than we ever have through other means. We feel good about ourselves. We know we are useful and productive. We are close to God.

THOUGHT FOR TODAY: Opportunities to be generous of spirit are always present.

---from A New Day, 365 Meditations for Personal and Spiritual Growth, Anonymous, page 9