Generosity and Gratitude

Reconnect your soul or your spirit to gratitude. If you’re grateful to the Creator for what you’ve, you may look at the behavior of another individual with more tolerance, or even with a totally different perspective.

Blessings in life, such as the gift of life, are generally overlooked or even taken for granted. For example, if someone takes advantage of you, don’t become angry immediately; instead, be grateful that you’re the victim instead of being the person who victimizes others.

Gratitude enables you to develop the mindset for a positive outlook toward your soul or your spirit. Smile more often. Keep your complaints about people, things, and life in general only to yourself—unless voicing them will help bring about positive changes in others or in society.

Gratitude helps you see the good in others, letting you give them the benefit of the doubt. Try to remember that all people are created in the image of the Creator. Focus on any individual as a person, rather than on the behavior or belief of that individual, which may not be appealing or pleasing to you.

Always be grateful that you’ve been given the opportunity to become either a teacher or a student in whatever circumstance you may find yourself in, and then turn it into a miracle of life.

An Illustration

At the end of 2007, John Kralik, an attorney who owned a law firm, experienced debts, and disasters in both his life and his career.

One day, after a walk in the mountains, Kralik became enlightened: as his 2008 New Year’s resolution, he decided to write a thank-you note a day for the rest of the year to everyone he knew.

Kralik’s 2008 “gratitude project” had changed his life completely. Instead of his feeling of discontent regarding his lack, and his envy of those who had what he didn’t have, he had learned to be grateful for his law firm, his practice, his friends, and his family, despite the many disasters and drawbacks he had previously experienced. Kralik’s gratitude began to change every aspect of his life. His relationships with his family, his friends, and his staff improved significantly; his law firm avoided bankruptcy and turned around completely.

Gratitude is something that you get more only by giving it away more. Expression of gratitude generates happiness that overcomes the unhappy feelings of lack.

So, be generous with your time, your labor, and whatever you may have. Showing generosity to others around you will diminish anger of your lack or deficiency.

Form the habit of giving without expecting any credit, recognition, or anything in return for your generous gesture. If you give with the intent of receiving, you become a “user” and not a real “giver.”

Generosity doesn’t necessarily have to do with giving or spending money. It isn’t solely based on your own economic status or how much money you’ve, but on your pure intention of looking out for society’s common good and giving from the bottom of your heart. Generosity should reflect your passion to help others who’re in need, or who’re less fortunate than yourself.

Mother Theresa once said that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. According to Buddha, generosity is one of the Ten Perfections, which’re human virtues cultivated as personal purification to live an unobstructed life for spiritual enlightenment.

Giving generosity is spiritual giving because God is giving. He gave man life itself (Acts 17:25), He constantly sustains man by His providential gifts (Acts 14:17), and, most significantly of all, He gave His beloved Son so that man may have eternal life (John. 3:16; Romans 6:23). If God is generous, so should you be!

“One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered.” Proverbs 11:24-25

So, always be generous with your time, your care, your love, your understanding, and your forgiveness. Your generosity will forever change the perspectives of your life. 

Stephen Lau

Copyright© by Stephen Lau



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Discovery and the Recovery

Image
The Discovery and the Recovery Hippocrates  (460 - 370 B.C),  the father of medicine, once said: “Our food should be our medicine. Our medicine should be our food.” Take a step further: Let food be the “only” medicine. If you have developed a degenerative disease, start thinking of food as your medicine, in fact, the best medicine, if not the “only” medicine. Your body is designed to digest and utilize food to get its nutrients and energy. But only wholesome food can do just that—not even supplements, because all supplements are just what they are called. If food is the “only” medicine for you, you will empower yourself with knowledge about food, and you will then pursue a proper diet with high quality, non-toxic, and nutritious food. That means, you will refrain from eating the commercially-prepared and chemically-loaded food obtainable at supermarkets. When food becomes the “only” medicine, you will also learn to trust your body; that is, you will learn what your body is tel...
Read more

Demons

Fighting Demons Demons are delusions and hallucinations seen by some while growing up; they seem to be seeing images and hearing voices that’re “real” only to them . They not only hear and see their demons, but also feel their presence. Demons can be caused by isolation, loneliness, lack of sleep, overuse of drugs, and daily stress. Demons are just not their “conscious realities.” An Illu stration David Cassidy , a famous American actor, singer, songwriter, and guitarist, had experienced his demons throughout his successful careers. Ho w and why ? His fans, mostly girls in their teens, screamed and chased after him wherever he went; so, he had no freedom or choice except to be a loner staying in isolation most of the time when he wasn't performing. Another of David Cassidy's demons was his failed relationship with his father, Jack Cassidy , also an actor and a singer, who abused and neglected David when he was young. David Cassidy's fame and success only worsened his...
Read more

Health Awareness

  “All men by nature desire knowledge.”   Aristotle When it comes to erasing age, very often you are your own worst enemy. Health Awareness To become younger and healthier for longer, you must be aware of your own health conditions, whatever they may be at this moment Do you have high blood pressure? Are your blood cholesterol levels normal? Do you experience regular physical pain, or frequent headaches? Do you have difficulty going to sleep? Do you have insatiable cravings for certain unhealthy foods? Do you have anxiety or mental depression? Is everyday life stressful to you? Are you overweight? Do you have any degenerative disease or chronic illness? It is useless to deny the presence of any health problems you may have. Your  awareness  of your present health conditions is the  first  step towards erasing your age. Health decision Once you become aware of your own conditions, make a  decision  to bring about the necessary changes—a change in y...
Read more