Gifts

There's something about giving a gift that pleases the soul. It's intrinsic, especially for those gifts that are so specific to the receiver that none except the giver would understand. Those are the best kind - the inside jokes, the uncovered nostalgia - pieces of the heart of the receiver, wrapped in ribbons of the giver, yet felt far deeper than the package it's placed within.

I would venture to say that giving often fulfills something deeper for the giver than for the one who receives. Fulfillment comes because, most often, the reward is greater than the cost. Seeing a person's face light up or a tear come to his or her eye is priceless - immediately worth more than anything they sacrificed to give that gift.

And giving just feels good - it's as if you're meeting an unspoken need. Gift giving is affirming - adding value to a person, qualifying their character. And to now own something that once belonged to someone else - whether for a minute or for a decade - makes one feel wealthy beyond measure. I think of the little refugee girl who gives her one and only bracelet to the missionary who is rich compared to her. Yet when the missionary slips that bracelet on, proudly wearing a piece of that little girl's heart on her wrist, the child feels wealthier than she ever did wearing it herself.

I'm convinced that we all need to give gifts more often. Encourage people. Be life-giving. It will teach you a lot - and you just might be the one walking away encouraged...