Freely have you received, freely give. Matt 10:8
When we expect love or happiness to come our way from the very places into which we have drained them, we are being very foolish. Because if we were to harvest only from where we have seeded, we would receive only little. But God wants us to receive abundantly. When we give ourselves to people sans expecting anything in return, we will receive from sources unimaginable to us, we will receive in measures overwhelming to us and our joy will know no bounds. But to give without expectations calls for unselfish unconditional love, unending love that flows from Jesus through us. Whether it be happiness or love or peace or hope or even faith, we have received it as a gift from Him, it is not a reward for our good works but in truth, a present from His mercy. The sooner we realize this, the better.
As we give away what we have received as soon as we have received it, the love, the peace and the happiness will begin to flow among His people thus uniting us in the One Body. Holding onto what we have received would mean that we are claiming it as our own. It would mean that we do not trust that God will replenish it. This insecurity that arises out of our base human thinking would stop the flow. Those who would have benefited from us would then be deprived of it. We ourselves would then be deprived of the greater good that God has in store for us, simply because we have refused to let go of the present good. We become blinded by the present blessings that we do not even see that God is before us, ready to hand out to us a greater good.
For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. Matt. 25:29
The parable of the ten talents is very true to my experiences. When I tried to protect what God gave me by burying it, when I tried to accumulate it and give it back to the sources from where I received it, I gained nothing. And what little I feared losing was taken away, leaving me feeling clueless about why it was given to me in the first place. I kept asking Him "Why Lord? I took such good care of what You gave me. Why did it have to be taken away from me? " I never received a reply. Because I was too dissolved in my bitterness. But today while I was contemplating, I realized that it was taken away from me because I did not do what He wanted me to do with it. I did not stop to ask him what He willed. I did what I felt was appropriate. I loved those whom I felt was worthy. And all along the only thing that he commanded was to love my neighbour as myself. But I stopped the flow. I held onto the love and happiness He gave me and gave it to only those whom I felt was deserving, never thinking that I received it though I was so terribly undeserving myself. My hands were too full from holding onto the little good that He gave me, that when He let down a shower of blessings, it fell to the ground. I tried to get a share of the new blessings while still holding onto what I had, still too selfish to give it away. Eventually I let go of what I had and lost that as well. It was not Him who took it away. It was my ignorance that had caused my loss. But He is so merciful that the second I repented, He replenished my emptiness. My cup is now overflowing.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life. Psalm 23:6
