The Joy Of Giving

True Story -

I walked home one night and I said out loud "please God, help me to be a giver. Help me to not be so selfish" ...

I wondered how God would respond, and how soon ...

I walked a further 20 paces and the outside tube station sat a beggar. Knees curled into his chest, head down, one arm stretched out holding a half torn McDonald coffee cup. His other hand held a sign, saying 'please help with a little change'

Surprised at how quick God responded to my prayer, my voice inside said 'OH come on God, that is too cliche, I'm not giving this beggar money, he will only spend it on booze, come on, you can teach me better than that'

Another voice took over and said to me ' Just do it, and don't just give your coins, if you have a note in your wallet, give him that'

'A note' I questioned ...

'Yes .... a note' the voice confirmed

I opened my wallet, I had some coins, but there was also a five pound note, the only note I had. "A fiver, I grumbled, Im gonna give a fiver just like that "... Then I had a reality check, I said to myself ... 'a fiver is no big deal, of course I can afford to give him a fiver, come on, get a grip'. And so I walked on by and popped the blue note in his cup.

The beggar was so surprised, he was so grateful that I dropped a note instead of coins ... "Thank you so much" he repeatedly shouted to me as I walked down the stairs to my train. 'No worries brother, no worries, its the least I can do' I whispered to myself.

The next day ... I stopped by a posh hotel for a cup of tea, I hadn't been there for a while as its quite pricey. I ordered my usual pot of green tea and chilled for a while. Finally, I finished up, and asked for the bill. The waitress came over and smiled 'Oh hi there, I've not seen you for a while, don't worry, the tea is on the house, nice to see you back ', - You've guessed it. A pot of tea in that hotel normally cost five pounds. I smiled and thanked God for the lesson.

... the joy of giving. When you receive, you only receive the 'thing' ... but when you give, not only do you bless the other with the 'thing', but you also bless yourself by receiving the 'joy'... And is it not true we would all love to receive joy in our lives ...  To receive joy start by giving ; )