There is a law that states when we share we increase the level of abundance for everyone involved. It is called the Law of Sharing. The Apostle Paul talks about it in 2 Cor. 9 when he says: “God will generously provide all you need. Then you will always have everything you need and plenty left over to share with others!”
Paul goes on to say that God is the one who provides the seed and then the bread and then an increase of our resources so that a generous harvest will be produced in us. God has an abundant future mapped out for us if we follow the Law of Sharing.
It is fun to give gifts. Just think of Christmas time when you have picked out an assortment of special things to give to those that you love. The excitement of watching them unwrap your gift and watching for the look of delight and surprise on their faces when they see what you have carefully selected for them with the intention of delighting them surpasses even the excitement of receiving something for yourself.
You not only have given something, but you have received a sense of joy and pleasure in return. This is what sharing is all about. It increases the level of abundance for everyone involved. This is not only true of emotional satisfaction it is true of other kinds of resources as well.
It is interesting to observe how we relate to money. When we see something that we really want, even if it has a very large price tag, we will think and scheme and figure until we come up with a way to justify and possess what we truly desire. On the other hand, when we are asked to give, we tend to do just the opposite. For example, if I see something that costs $1000 but I truly want it, I will come up with a way to find the money and at the same time, minimize in my own thinking how much $1000 really is. It is worth it is what I tell myself. If, on the other hand, I am asked to give $1000 it can seem like an incredibly large amount of money! I can’t conceive how I could possibly afford such a large amount!
The problem is not in the dollar amount. Add or subtract zeros however you want. The problem is in my relationship to money and how I look at spending on myself versus giving to others.
This raises another interesting phenomena. Some people will say, well that doesn’t apply to me because I’m always giving gifts to others, but I don’t get anything for myself. This can be especially true of women, who are always giving and doing for others, but do nothing for themselves. Whereas some people will do anything for themselves, but nothing for others, there are some who will do anything for others but nothing for themselves.
Both positions are unbalanced. Sharing is about creating balance in our lives. Sharing is an attitude of inclusiveness. We include others and ourselves in the abundance of the universe. We are distributors, so to speak, of God’s wealth. We are like a life-giving river that freely receives from its Source and freely gives out to the world. Sharing is not just about giving to others and never giving to one's self. Sharing is about giving freely to both understanding that as we give away, we receive more in abundance.
A body of water with no outlet soon becomes overgrown with algae and weeds and eventually dries up. Just like a body of water, we need an outlet in our lives to keep us vital and alive. Sharing is the mechanism provided by the universe to keep us running clean and abundant like a fresh spring of water.
When we come to God in prayer and meditation everyday we are giving to our soul the food and nourishment it needs in order to give back to the world. If we do not receive for ourselves first, there will be nothing to give to others. As we learn of the spiritual abundance that God has made available to us, we can start to translate this understanding to the material world as well creating a balance between what we give to ourselves in the form of possessions and what we share with others.
Both material and spiritual needs are important in our lives, both to receive and to give. The world is hungry for both. We have a spiritual body and a physical body that both require being fed as does the world. Balance is created in our lives when we understand this and learn to share thus creating a higher level of abundance for everyone involved.
What can you share with someone today to increase abundance--maybe a sweater, your time, or a kind word? Be the change you want to see in the world today.
Paul goes on to say that God is the one who provides the seed and then the bread and then an increase of our resources so that a generous harvest will be produced in us. God has an abundant future mapped out for us if we follow the Law of Sharing.
It is fun to give gifts. Just think of Christmas time when you have picked out an assortment of special things to give to those that you love. The excitement of watching them unwrap your gift and watching for the look of delight and surprise on their faces when they see what you have carefully selected for them with the intention of delighting them surpasses even the excitement of receiving something for yourself.
You not only have given something, but you have received a sense of joy and pleasure in return. This is what sharing is all about. It increases the level of abundance for everyone involved. This is not only true of emotional satisfaction it is true of other kinds of resources as well.
It is interesting to observe how we relate to money. When we see something that we really want, even if it has a very large price tag, we will think and scheme and figure until we come up with a way to justify and possess what we truly desire. On the other hand, when we are asked to give, we tend to do just the opposite. For example, if I see something that costs $1000 but I truly want it, I will come up with a way to find the money and at the same time, minimize in my own thinking how much $1000 really is. It is worth it is what I tell myself. If, on the other hand, I am asked to give $1000 it can seem like an incredibly large amount of money! I can’t conceive how I could possibly afford such a large amount!
The problem is not in the dollar amount. Add or subtract zeros however you want. The problem is in my relationship to money and how I look at spending on myself versus giving to others.
This raises another interesting phenomena. Some people will say, well that doesn’t apply to me because I’m always giving gifts to others, but I don’t get anything for myself. This can be especially true of women, who are always giving and doing for others, but do nothing for themselves. Whereas some people will do anything for themselves, but nothing for others, there are some who will do anything for others but nothing for themselves.
Both positions are unbalanced. Sharing is about creating balance in our lives. Sharing is an attitude of inclusiveness. We include others and ourselves in the abundance of the universe. We are distributors, so to speak, of God’s wealth. We are like a life-giving river that freely receives from its Source and freely gives out to the world. Sharing is not just about giving to others and never giving to one's self. Sharing is about giving freely to both understanding that as we give away, we receive more in abundance.
A body of water with no outlet soon becomes overgrown with algae and weeds and eventually dries up. Just like a body of water, we need an outlet in our lives to keep us vital and alive. Sharing is the mechanism provided by the universe to keep us running clean and abundant like a fresh spring of water.
When we come to God in prayer and meditation everyday we are giving to our soul the food and nourishment it needs in order to give back to the world. If we do not receive for ourselves first, there will be nothing to give to others. As we learn of the spiritual abundance that God has made available to us, we can start to translate this understanding to the material world as well creating a balance between what we give to ourselves in the form of possessions and what we share with others.
Both material and spiritual needs are important in our lives, both to receive and to give. The world is hungry for both. We have a spiritual body and a physical body that both require being fed as does the world. Balance is created in our lives when we understand this and learn to share thus creating a higher level of abundance for everyone involved.
What can you share with someone today to increase abundance--maybe a sweater, your time, or a kind word? Be the change you want to see in the world today.
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