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Sometimes the greatest lessons in life come at the oddest
moments. One of mine came when I was helping to harvest our
gardens as a boy. We had four of them and they took a lot of
work. In the fall, however, they produced more than enough
vegetables for the whole year. Every year my Dad would
separate a part of them to share with friends and people in
the community. One time while we were loading up a bag full
of corn to take to a needy family I asked my Dad why we
always gave so many of our vegetables away. He said, "Son,
not everyone has as much as we do. They can use our help.
Besides, if we didn’t give these vegetables away they would
just go to waste." Now that I have been on this world a lot
longer I can see the wisdom in my Dad’s words. I can see too
that they apply not just to vegetables but to our entire
lives.
What
good are our lives, after all, if we don’t give them away?
What good are the things we have if they just go to waste?
We all come into this world naked and shivering with
nothing. We can take nothing with us when we leave here
either. Our lives and possessions then are only momentary
gifts. They have meaning only when we share them and use
them to help others.
In
fact, the real riches of life come from every act of giving,
helping, and sharing we do. These true riches are love, joy,
and oneness with God. They are the wealth of the spirit and
the treasures of Heaven. The best thing about them too is
that they never run out. The more you give them away, the
more God pours them into your heart, soul, and mind.
Don’t
let your life go to waste. Give it away. Give it joyously in
service to others. Give it lovingly in service to God. Give
your money, your time, your talents, your help, your skills,
your energy, and your love. Give without fear knowing that
God will always give you back even more. Make yourself rich
in the treasures of Heaven and bring a little Heaven to
Earth as well.
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