Some days you read a story that powerfully demonstrates a truth in the Bible similar to this short story about the value of giving. This short story impacted me as I read it. You will be blessed as you are again reminded of the power and value of giving.
The Value of Giving ~ The Story of a Circus Ticket
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus.
Finally, there was only one other family between us and the ticket counter. This family made a big impression on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. The way they were dressed, you could tell they didn’t have a lot of money, but their clothes were neat and clean.
The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands. They were excitedly jabbering about the clowns, animals, and all the acts they would be seeing that night. By their excitement you could sense they had never been to the circus before. It would be a highlight of their lives.
The father and mother were at the head of the pack standing proud as could be. The mother was holding her husband’s hand, looking up at him as if to say, “You’re my knight in shining armor.” He was smiling and enjoying seeing his family happy.
The ticket lady asked the man how many tickets he wanted? He proudly responded, “I’d like to buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets, so I can take my family to the circus.” The ticket lady stated the price.
The man’s wife let go of his hand, her head dropped, the man’s lip began to quiver. Then he leaned a little closer and asked, “How much did you say?” The ticket lady again stated the price.
The man didn’t have enough money. How was he supposed to turn and tell his eight kids that he didn’t have enough money to take them to the circus?
Seeing what was going on, my dad reached into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill, and then dropped it on the ground. (We were not wealthy in any sense of the word!) My father bent down, picked up the $20 bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.”
The man understood what was going on. He wasn’t begging for a handout but certainly appreciated the help in a desperate, heartbreaking and embarrassing situation.
He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, squeezed tightly onto the $20 bill, and with his lip quivering and a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied; “Thank you, thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.”
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. The $20 that my dad gave away is what we were going to buy our own tickets with.
Although we didn’t get to see the circus that night, we both felt a joy inside us that was far greater than seeing the circus could ever provide.
That day I learned the value to give.
The giver is bigger than the receiver. If you want to be large, larger than life, learn to Give. Love has nothing to do with what you are expecting to get – only with what you are expecting to give – which is everything.
The importance of giving, blessing others can never be over emphasized because there’s always joy in giving. Learn to make someone happy by acts of giving.
A Giving and Generous Heart by Jesus
Jesus also helped us understand the value of giving. He related it not just to money but to our heart in general about people. Luke records him as saying,
37 “Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.38 Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:37-38)
Jesus makes a simple point: your heart should be generous toward those you see. The value of giving is significant. Although many preachers teach this text in regard to offerings, this text is not about offerings. Instead, it is about judging others in your heart. Jesus teaches us to look at others with a big heart and a generous heart.
What will that kind of heart do for us? It will by love value giving or receiving.
Will you give away $20 occasionally with this kind of heart? Yes.
Will you give an offering at church? Yes.
Why? Not because you want more yourself — you will give because you have a heart of giving.
Attribution: This story has shown up on social media in various formats at various times usually by Katharine Hepburn. However, “This heartwarming tale has no connection to the legendary actress. It’s a narrative that was published in the 1995 book “A 2nd Helping of Chicken Soup for the Soul,” part of the popular Chicken Soup collections of inspirational tales. This narrative is credited not to Hepburn, who passed away in 2003, but to Dan Clark, a motivational speaker and life coach who has contributed a number of short stories to the Chicken Soup series.[1]
Image Credit Mark Williams
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
