The world is full of two kinds of people: the givers and the takers. “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give,” Duane Hulse once said. Or to quote the words of Lao Tzu: “If you take, you must first give, this is the beginning of intelligence.”
“The service we render to others is really the rent we pay for our room on this earth,” said Sir Wilfred T. Grinfell. “It is obvious that man is himself a traveler; that the purpose of this world is not ‘to have and to hold’ but ‘to give and serve.’”
Now, do you remember the parable of the Good Samaritan, which the Bible featured in Luke 10:30-35? A parable, by definition, is a unique form of narrative that imparts a moral lesson through analogy. By comprehending the representations within a parable, we can grasp the underlying message it conveys.
If you haven’t heard of it or could not remember it, here’s the whole story as told by Jesus Christ: A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him off his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side.
But a Samaritan (half-Jews and half-Gentiles), as he traveled, came to where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him.
The next day, the Samaritan took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. “Look after him,” he said, “and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.”
Frequently, we find ourselves embodying the characters depicted in the parable. Yet, many of us tend to identify more with the victim — the man who was robbed and left nearly lifeless. We often find satisfaction in being the recipients of kindness and generosity from others, desiring gifts, financial assistance, compassion, and support.
When will we transition from being mere recipients to becoming contributors? The true joy of giving remains elusive if we continue to accept what others offer us.
The adage “it is better to give than to receive” encapsulates this sentiment. This principle was exemplified by the Good Samaritan, who not only rescued the victim but also attended to all his needs. As Evangeline Booth articulated, “It is not what we receive, but what we give to others” that truly matters.
Now, allow me to share this true story, which I received from an e-mail. I have no idea who wrote the story but it happened during a breakfast:
“I am a mother of three (ages 14, 12, 3) and have recently completed my college degree,” she wrote. “The last class I had to take was Sociology. The teacher was absolutely inspiring with the qualities that I wish every human being had been graced with. For our last project, she asked us to go out and smile at three people and document their reactions. I am a very friendly person and always smile at everyone and say hello anyway, so, I thought this would be a piece of cake, literally.
“Soon after we were assigned the project, my husband, youngest son, and I went out to eat breakfast in one of the country’s food chains. It was just our way of sharing special playtime with our son. We were standing in line, waiting to be served, when all of a sudden everyone around us began to back away, and then even my husband did. I did not move an inch – an overwhelming feeling of panic welled up inside of me as I turned to see why they had moved.
“As I turned around I smelled a horrible ‘dirty body’ smell, and there standing behind me were two poor homeless men. As I looked down at the short gentleman, close to me, he was ‘smiling.’ His beautiful sky blue eyes were full of God’s Light as he searched for acceptance. He said, ‘Good morning’ as he counted the few coins he had been clutching.
“The second man fumbled with his hands as he stood behind his friend. I realized the second man was mentally challenged and the blue-eyed gentleman was his salvation. I held my tears as I stood there with them. The young lady at the counter asked him what they wanted.
“The blue-eyed gentleman said, ‘Just coffee, Miss.’ I think that was all they could afford. If they wanted to sit in the restaurant and feel the cool atmosphere, they had to buy something. Or else, they won’t be able to do so.
“Then I really felt it – the compulsion was so great I almost reached out and embraced the little man with the blue eyes. That is when I noticed all eyes in the restaurant were set on me, judging my every action. I smiled and asked the young lady behind the counter to give me two more breakfast meals on a separate tray.
“I then walked around the corner to the table that the men had chosen as a resting spot. I put the tray on the table and laid my hand on the blue-eyed gentleman’s cold hand. He looked up at me, with tears in his eyes, and said, ‘Thank you.’ I leaned over, began to pat his hand and said, ‘I did not do this for you. God is here working through me to give you hope.’
“I started to cry as I walked away to join my husband and son. When I sat down my husband smiled at me and said, ‘That is why God gave you to me, honey, to give me hope.’ We held hands for a moment and, at that time, we knew that only because of the grace that we had been given were we able to give.
“We are not churchgoers, but we are believers. That day showed me the pure light of God’s sweet love. I returned to college, on the last evening of class, with the story in hand. I turned in ‘my project’ and the instructor read it. Then she looked up at me and said, ‘Can I share this?’ I slowly nodded as she got the attention of the class.
“She began to read and that is when I knew that we as human beings and being part of God share this need to heal people and to be healed. I graduated with one of the biggest lessons I would ever learn: unconditional acceptance. We have to love people and use things – not love things and use people.”
