Pay attention to what you hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be given you. (Mark 4:24 NRSV Bible)
I remember a story of a woman who lost her husband and she was having difficulty moving through the stages of grief. For weeks, she went each day to the cemetery to put flowers on his grave. She simply could not let go. No matter what she did it seemed that her grief would not dissipate. In her despair, she went to her doctor for a check-up. When she told him about taking the flowers each day to the cemetery her doctor made a gentle suggestion.

He said, "Instead of taking flowers to the cemetery, let me suggest you take them to the hospital. I have two patients who are alone. They have no family in this city and they would really enjoy receiving some fresh flowers. Why not take those fresh flowers, for one day, to the hospital rather than to the cemetery? Ask them about their progress and give them some encouragement. See if there is anything you can do for them." The lady took the doctor's suggestion. She took the flowers to the hospital rather than to the cemetery. Soon she was able to work through her grief, because she had given of herself to help others in need.

This lady had discovered the lesson of healing through giving. Giving takes away many of the pains we carry in life. I hope we can learn that lesson too!

Dear giving God, once again I have been made very aware of how much you have given to me. Help me to be the shining example of what I would like to see in others through my giving. Amen.

Ron Newhouse

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