19 - When you do what's Right and give

A dose is there when you do what's Right and give to someone who needs more

Transcript

Current Episode Introduction

This episode is informed by the verse of the poem representing the letter:

• R

• A dose is there when you do what's Right and give to someone who needs more

It includes a brief description of the verse, a personal reflection demonstrating how the verse has facilitated my own resonance with Doses of God in my life, a statement of gratitude, and a few guiding questions that may be considered for your own reflection.

Description

Here is description of the verse:

• A dose is there when you do what's Right and give to someone who needs more

• When you give to someone who needs more, you are allowing God’s will to live through you. You are doing the right thing by ensuring that His resources are distributed to people who need them. Needs exist all around us. God will show you areas of need when you let Him use your eyes as His own. He will enable you to satisfy needs when you let Him use your hand as His own. You will feel good about yourself and be generously rewarded for letting His grace shine through you. He will ensure that you receive more of what you give so that you can continue to contribute your resources to the greater good of the world. Needs can take a multitude of forms. Someone might have a need for knowledge, money, physical assistance, emotional support, or spiritual guidance. If you are willing, God will ensure that you have the resources necessary to help fulfill such needs. Someone might simply have a need for more smiles in his or her life. You can satisfy such a need by allowing God’s grace to shine through your face in the form of a smile.

Reflection

Here is my personal reflection on the verse:

• To me, this verse is about giving altruistically to others in ways that help meet their needs or otherwise contribute to their well-being. It is about identifying and acting on opportunities to use what I have available to me for purposes that matter to others. There seem to be endless opportunities and ways for me to give to a variety of potential recipients, which may include individuals (e.g., family members, friends, acquaintances, or strangers) or groups (e.g., charities, churches, or other nonprofit organizations or causes). When I think about giving, I consider 5 main points: 1) how gifts may be made in material or nonmaterial forms, 2) how important it is to give in unconditional ways, 3) how a gift can add value when it is intentionally given based on an identified need or desire of the receiver, 4) how being a good steward of what I have can optimize its value when I give to others, and 5) how benefits bestowed to a receiver may be reciprocated to a giver.

  • First, I see how giving can occur in material and nonmaterial ways. For example, giving in material ways may include making contributions of money, food, clothes, hygiene products, household goods, or other material items. Giving in nonmaterial ways may include offering physical support, intellectual knowledge and skills, emotional stability, social engagement, or a present state of being.

  • Second, I interpret giving to a commendable cause in an unconditional way as being a demonstration of love by making a laudable contribution to the well-being of others. One of my deepest desires is to be an unconditional contributor to the well-being of the world, which may occur through gifts that positively impact people, organizations, or initiatives. I feel that adverse consequences are bound to surface if I attach conditions to my contributions. For example, if I give something to someone in a material or nonmaterial way with an expectation of receiving something from them in return, I position myself to be at risk for disappointment as well as to project negative energy toward the recipient if my expectations are not met.

  • Third, a gift seems to have potential for a greater positive impact if it is intentionally offered based on a need or want of the recipient. Although I desire to be a giver, I realize that if I give something to entities or causes that do not need or want what I have to offer, I might be adding a burden rather than a benefit to that which I was hoping to help. An example that somewhat demonstrates this is when we decluttered a few rooms at our house and gave several of the items to a friend so she could sell them at her garage sale and keep the profits. Not many of the items sold and, consequently, she was burdened with extra clutter in her garage and the responsibility of discarding or finding a new home for the items. I see this as being more of a selfish gift as I seem to have tricked myself into believing I was giving something of value to her when, upon further reflection, I see the primary purpose as having been for me to serve my own desired outcome of less clutter in our house.

  • Fourth, I believe that a gift I offer in response to the needs or desires of a recipient will generate greater value for the receiver if I have been a good steward of what I am giving. For example, if I am a wise spender and investor of my money, and I take good care of other material items, I will have more money and higher quality material items to give to worthy causes. Furthermore, if I act on opportunities to study, solve problems, and practice being creative, I will be able to give greater degrees of intellectual capacity to others who may benefit from my knowledge and cognitive skills. If I exercise my body, I will be able to offer greater degrees of strength and endurance to projects that may benefit from my contributions of physical labor. If I practice communicating with others in oral, written, and nonverbal ways, I will be able to give greater social capacity to situations that may benefit from me being an effective articulator of ideas, an attentive listener, or a facilitator of interactions between others. If I practice seeing situations with an optimistic outlook, observing and navigating my positive and negative emotions, and expressing my feelings in appropriate ways, I will be able to contribute emotional stability in environments that may be at risk for an emotionally volatile mood. If I practice prayer, meditation, and ongoing immersion in the moment, I will be better equipped to give contemplative energy to environments that may benefit from a mindful or present state of being.

  • And fifth, I have encountered several examples of how giving in unconditional and intentional ways can induce reciprocated value to the giver. As an example, in the context of intellectual capacity, when I have given or used my knowledge and skills to teach, identify problems, create new processes or tools, serve on a committee, or volunteer in another type of cognitive way, I have received more intellectual capacity by strengthening my knowledge and skills through practice. In the context of physical capacity, when I have given or used my muscles to help a friend or family member with some sort of laborious task, such as moving furniture, shoveling snow, or mowing the lawn, I have received more strength because my activity makes my muscles stronger. In the context of social capacity, if I communicate in productive ways with others, such as giving them an attentive ear, a friendly smile, a genuine compliment, or a relevant insight during a discussion, my relationship with them is likely to be strengthened. In the context of emotional capacity, if I give optimistic and manageable emotions to others during our interactions, I am more likely to encounter people with balanced emotional states that further develop and sustain my emotional well-being. In a general sense, if I give something of value to my family, peers, or community, they become stronger and, consequently, support my well-being and development in more robust ways.

• Optimize your gifts by giving what you can offer to the right recipients at the right time in the right place through the right ways. The value of what you have to offer may be compromised or rejected entirely if you force yourself to give in contexts that do not need or want what you can offer. Even if you are able to see that what you would be able to give could contribute to the well-being of an individual, group, or initiative, allow yourself to accept that the timing might not be appropriate for you to give if the potential recipients are not in a position to willfully accept what you are able to offer. Actively search for opportunities to give what you have to others who will appreciate and benefit from what you are able to offer, and carry yourself in a manner that allows you to act on opportunities for giving that serendipitously present themselves to you even when you are not intentionally looking for ways to contribute.

Gratitude Statement

I am immeasurably grateful for:

• having material and nonmaterial resources that I can give to support the well-being of others and will attempt to remain aware of opportunities to make unconditional and intentional contributions to those who need or want what I am able to offer.

Guiding Questions

Here are a few guiding questions to consider that might facilitate your own personal reflection upon the verse:

• A dose is there when you do what's Right and give to someone who needs more

Take a moment to reflect on:

• times when you have given to others.

For example:

• What are examples of material and nonmaterial gifts that you have given to others?

• How do you ensure you are giving something valuable that is needed or wanted by the receiver of your gift?

• How do you feel when you intentionally give something to others who need or want what you are able to provide?

• In what ways do you express gratitude for your ability to positively impact others through your gifts?

• What strategies could you implement to maintain awareness of opportunities to give valuable gifts in intentional ways?

Closing Statement

In closing:

• when you allow God to fulfill the needs of others through you, you receive a Dose of God.

Next Episode

The next episode in this series will focus on the verse representing the letter:

• S

• It's at the lake on a Sunny day when you jump into the water

Positive Vibes

Thank you so much for listening. May you consistently position yourself to accept and resonate with the Doses of God that are ever-presently here for you.