GAINING THROUGH GIVING

I’m not sure the concept is yet worthy of being etched in stone, but as I have added days, years and decades to my life I have seen growing evidence that most of life’s progressive steps are accompanied by a loss of something which was dearly treasured. Experience is gained only as we sacrifice youth, then the prime times of life and finally the golden years. A diligent quest for knowledge uses precious moments which quickly turn into years gone by. The joys of family limit individual adventuring and exploring. Building a secure tomorrow exacts a toll on fulfillment of some of today’s desires.

Another dichotomy which has drawn my attention as I observe contemporary and scriptural situations is the oft times repeated phenomena where varying results seem to come out of similar inputs.

We find children seemingly growing up in the same environment, being raised by the same parents; one embraces the values and teachings of his parents finding them fulfilling and helpful, while the other rebels against those same concepts finding the teachings repugnant and repressive. People can look at the same data and come to extremely different interpretations and needed solutions. While one finds comfort in the conveniences of living in a big city, others can never feel contented away from the country life.

I know the causes of these variances are extremely complex, but it seems that there is something beyond the external stimuli of our surroundings which contributes significantly to how we interpret and react to our environments. The rains descend upon the heads of all. Some are only capable of seeing and complaining about the mud, while others lift their faces to heaven giving thanks for the outpouring of this essential source of life. As the sun radiates upon the earth, some of the inhabitants bask while others bake. The blowing wind brings a shivering chill to one while freshening the air of a neighbor.

The source of these varying reactions to external stimuli seems to be generated from somewhere deep within each of us, something which exists independent of a nervous system which is reacting to the five normally recognized senses. This heaven born part of us seems to give each a propensity toward acting positively or negatively as we see, smell, taste, feel or hear.

As I try to meld these two concepts together let me first speak of those who seem to live in a perpetual Pollyanna world. Although to many, always having the ability to see the bright side of every coin might seem a desirable way of life, in reality it is necessary at times to know that too much rain, sun or wind can lead to very destructive consequences. Likewise, although we might at first think that looking at things negatively is on the wrong end of every continuum, in the heat of life’s battles we come to know that a healthy dose of skepticism can lead to the avoidance of many a miss step. Somehow each of us may need to sacrifice a measure of our natural propensities in order to gain a healthy interaction of yin and yang in our lives. At the end of our lives we should all strive to be able to join in the choir, adding our voices to that of Scrooge as he sings out at the end of the movie based on Charles Dickens’, A Christmas Carol, ‘that which I was I will never be again.’

After all, was it not the declaration of the Savior that the finding of one’s life would be conditional upon the loosing of the life one might currently be living? There it is again, progress countered by a loss. None of us should feel so secure in our current selves that we would be diverted from this divine counsel to be about the business or sacrificing some of what we are so that we can move forward toward what we were sent to become.

Gaining the exuberant feeling of being loved by others will come as a result of spending time in being of service to them. Having an environment of peace and calmness will be purchased by paying the price of controlling my tongue and anger. If I am going to enjoy the fruits of the gospel I must be willing to spend time laboring in the vineyard.

Like so many of life’s worthwhile pursuits, the understanding and actualization of the process of gaining through giving will only become ours after we have applied hammer and chisel and with diligence, permanently etched the changes upon our soul. However, through this diligence like all other things we are required to put off in order to make room for the better part. We will shortly but powerfully begin to realize the rewards which are coming to be ours as we gain dominance over ourselves. We will start to be released from the terrible burden of having our joy dependent on the whims of others. We will be able to see though a glass more clearly that all our neighbors, like we, are but works in progress. We will find new and exciting horizons as we willingly sacrifice unbalanced attitudes which we have embraced for far too long. We will be encouraged as we begin to glimpse the reality that Heavenly Father may care even more than we, the direction we are headed and the progress we are making.