Give

I learned to sing a song as a child in Primary called "Give Said the Little Stream." It teaches a great lesson in a simple thought.

Give, said the little stream, give oh give, give oh give!
Give, said the little stream, as it hurried down the hill.
I'm small I know, but wherever I go, the grass grows greener still.
Singing, singing all the day. Give away, oh give away!
Singing, singing all the day. Give oh give away!

This little stream gave everywhere it went, and it gurgled along happily. I saw this saying that fits: "The grass isn't greener on the other side; the grass is greener where you water it!"

I only recently learned about the word philanthropy or philanthropist. Although I now realize I always heard that word in the Wizard of Oz. "A good deed doer." Or, people who live their lives and give large sums of money to help others, they who have a love of mankind. When I read the book "The Secret" (pg.107) it said that some of the wealthiest people on the planet are the greatest philanthropists. They give away vast amounts of money and money floods back to them multiplied. I was greatly intrigued by that. The Law of Attraction claims that giving brings more money and abundance into your life, because when you are giving you are saying, "I have plenty." When you think you don't have enough to give, start giving. The law of attraction then gives you more to give. Giving from a heart that is overflowing feels so good.

But why should I be so intrigued when I've been taught that my whole life in my church?! President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "Those who impart of their sustenance to the needy so generously will not lack in their own store and in their own homes, but there will be food on their tables and a roof over their heads. One cannot be merciful to others without receiving a harvest of mercy in return."

As members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints we pay 10% to the Lord on all our increase. In addition, once a month we fast for 24 hours and give the equivalent or more of the cost of 2 meals to the Fast Offering which goes to help the poor. Our church has the greatest welfare system on the face of this earth! Tons of food and supplies are shipped to places all over the world within hours of natural disasters, as well as helping truly needy people every day. Our members donate as they choose to the Church's Humanitarian aid fund. We also have a Perpetual Education fund which helps young people in other countries get an education. They then pay the loans back after they graduate so the money is continuously perpetuated for others to use. Thousands have helped improve the quality of living for themselves and their families through this simple program.

I recently saw an excellent documentary by Bill Whittle on his Afterburner program on PJTV "A Tale of Two Americas." He gave our church's welfare system a glowing tribute. He said if our government had a system like that it would solve a lot of problems in our country (or something to that effect). I loved this whole documentary and was quite moved by those who really do honor our country for what it was meant to be. Some truly give their all.

I really admire the words of author Larry Barkdull. He said, "True greatness is measured by one's ability to give...without giving, there can be no progress, either for individuals or for societies."

In the Book of Mormon there was a Lamanite King who was king over all the land. When he learned of the great love that a Nephite servant of God named Ammon had for his son, King Lamoni, he called unto God saying he would give away all his sins to know Him. (Alma 22:17-18) That king gave his all to the Lord. What he reaped in return was worth more than all his power or worldly possessions. In Matthew 16:25 we learn that "Whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." Over and over we learn the importance of giving, and the value of caring for the poor and the needy.

Service is love, and the "spirit" of service is planted in the hearts of those we help. They, in turn, serve. The army of the Lord's servants grows in this way. (Women's Conference 2001 pg. 68) Giving becomes perpetual.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, "The more we serve our fellowmen in appropriate ways, the more substance there is to our souls." (Ensign 11/08)

I'm learning to understanding the importance of balance. As important as it is to give, we also need to remember to give to ourselves. Women often run faster than they are nearly able, though it is amazing how much a woman can accomplish in a day. But it's important, as Dr. John Gray said, to "take a little time off to give to yourself and in a sense to fill yourself up to fullness, to where now you can overflow in giving."

Praying, scripture study time, pondering in stillness (if it can be found), exercise, eating nutritiously and taking time out to do something you love each day if possible, will give you more confidence to believe in yourself and to have more of yourself to give in good ways.

I realized one day, when the song "Give Said the Little Stream" was running through my head, how connected that song is to forgiving! As we forgive others of their shortcomings, ourselves included, we give water and life to all that is living around us. I think forgiving is the greatest act of giving that we can render. What peace we would have in our world if everyone readily forgave one another. Those living waters are mercy and truly do represent the Living Water of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  Which, if one drinks, will never thirst again.

He was the greatest example of giving that ever did and ever will touch the face of this earth. He gave His all. Truly. And because of Him, we have been given all that we have. How could we not think to give back?

I love the idea of giving.