Sharing...

"Remember this: The person who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the person who sows generously will also reap generously." ~2 Corinthians 9:6

Over the years I have learned that there are those who share, and those who give.

As a child it is important that we learn to share things with others. Generally these are gentle lessons that create an understanding that it's the "right thing" to do.

Scripture teaches us that if we have two of something, we are to give one away.

Years ago when I worked on the street, it wasn't uncommon for me to give the shoes I was wearing away.

Sometimes it was awkward. Showing up to a meeting and trying to explain what I had done. It was often met with silence. The thing is, I always knew I had another pair at home. I soon got to the point where I just carried an extra pair of shoes in my car. It wasn't until Emily one year gave me a pair of shoes and told me, "Now dad, these are your shoes. Please don't give them away," that I began to think that maybe I had taken this to a level that was an issue... who knows...

I still have that pair of shoes she gave me now a decade ago.

Sharing doesn't possess the lesson that we truly learn when we sacrifice something of ours for someone else.

Sharing implies that what we possess is still ours and is only being given for a short period of time or some kind of limit. Sacrifice implies it now belongs to someone else.

Christ was given to us as a sacrifice. God didn't loan to us Christ. Christ was not necessarily shared. God sent Christ so that we might truly understand that sacrifice is important. It's about placing someone before ourselves.
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I read years ago to practice random acts of kindness. Today try something new. Sacrifice something for someone else and realize the difference between sharing something and giving something you love away.

Stay in God's grip!

G. Todd Williams (c) 2017