"It is more blessed to give than to receive." I've often praised the truthfulness of this age-old proverb, as I am a huge gift-giving person (it's kinda my love language) and take an unnecessary amount of joy in watching someone enjoy the Christmas present I got them. But the more brain power you take to really digest this nugget of wisdom, and the more effort you take putting it into practice, the more you realize: woah.
Getting something is but a small taste of the joy and fulfillment that comes when you give. When you put a bit of your heart, your joy, yourself into something... and that something enriches someone else's life... it's something way bigger.
I feel this way about gift-giving, but also about everything else. It's why I try hard at giving sincere compliments. In a way, I think being an avid reader actually helped this. I have a fairly well-developed vocabulary at this point, which equips me to say you don't just look nice... you look ravishing. You look elegant. You are more uniquely special than a generic, all-encompassing compliment. I love finding the right word for things at all times, and when I find the right one to make someone's day, it's even better.
Conversely, I enjoy thinking up cool compliments (rather than deconstructing others'), so I'm not as good at receiving compliments- something I've tried to work on lately. It sort of discounts a compliment when the person being complimented just brushes it off (like, if you "look awful," why'd I bother?). So I'd like to be as creative at saying thank you as I try to be in giving, so that even when someone gives me something- a gift, a compliment, advice, etc.- I can receive it in a way that blesses them just as much as it did me.
This is totally a Jesus thing. Anytime he was praised, or given a gift, or anything, he immediately used the opportunity to point the attention away from Himself- towards God. Often, He would also honor the gift-giver when the gift was genuine, such as the woman who wiped His feet with perfume. He was selfless at all times. It's something I long to embody as of late.
Don't get me wrong: I don't want to overdo anything, like be overly thoughtful in my gifts to the point of creepiness or say thanks a million times. I just think that being just a bit more creative than the bare minimum can make a huge difference at a tiny cost. In fact, I think that's a pretty good principle to live by.
So don't settle for gift cards, kids. If someone's important to you, find a gift or word that's equally unique.
(No pressure)
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