The more that we give, the more that we get in return

How to cut through all the holiday razzle-dazzle and end up satisfied is something most of us wish for. Thanksgiving used to be a little simpler than it’s become. I have friends who will begin Black Friday shopping Thursday evening, sleeping a few hours in their car that night — ready to look again the next morning. A mom and her middle school daughter out for a rockin’ good time.

Nothing wrong with that. I know they won’t come home overstuffed on stuff and famished for peace. Because this is not the main show for them. This mom is there in a flash for people who have a need she can help meet. She’ll soon be driving a woman struggling with health issues and low finances to a surgery she can only have in Boise.

I like how Jesus lays out what the kingdom of God is all about … “For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.”

His listeners were astonished, basically asking, “Lord, when did we do all this?” Jesus answered, “Truly I say to you, to the extent you did it to one of these brothers of mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.”

I heard a story about a pastor, who on his first Sunday in his new big-city-big church, came in through the front door appearing and acting very much like someone off the street. He got “the look” from all kinds of people who had no idea who he was. He was even asked to leave. He left all right — and showed up in front of his congregation — having zapped them in a powerful wordless message.

Jesus gives a tremendous teaching about not making life only about ourselves. Saying, look around and see the needs of others and don’t shut down or shut out but give, give, give.

The unique return on this is the more we give, give, give, the more we get, get, get — get stuffed with peace, joy, and satisfaction.