Making a life by what we give

I love the television quiz show, “The Chase.” Some questions are pretty difficult – especially (for me) the ones about authors and folk in the movie business.

I guess I’m more technically oriented. I don’t watch a lot of movies.
But a question on The Chase asked who uttered the famous saying “never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few,” I’d know the answer in a flash. It was an utterance that not only encapsulated a magnificent and unforgettable truth, but the accompanying image of a rotund, slightly gruff, cigar-smoking gentleman seemed tailor-made for it.
However, if a different question were asked – to wit, who said “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give” – then I (and probably many others) would not immediately think of that same rotund, slightly gruff, cigar-smoking gentleman – Winston Churchill!
But WC it was. And the truth of the second of those axiomatic statements is also compelling.
Of the way we give, Jesus said: “Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”
Henry Ford, the American car-maker tycoon, was once asked to donate money for the construction of a new medical facility. The billionaire pledged $5,000. The next day in the newspaper, the headline read: “Henry Ford contributes $50,000 to the local hospital.” This angered Ford, who immediately picked up the phone to complain to the fund-raiser that he’d been misunderstood. The fund-raiser replied that they would print a retraction in the paper the following day, reading “Henry Ford reduces his donation by $45,000.”
Realizing the damaging publicity that would result, the industrialist reluctantly agreed to the $50,000 contribution – on condition that the following biblical inscription be carved above the entrance to the hospital: “I came among you, and you took me in.”
Giving to others – and in particular, to the poorest and most disadvantaged – is a hallmark of a civilized society. But of paramount importance is our attitude to giving. In Henry ford’s case, we can detect more than a little bad grace in his gesture. And that bad grace tends to undermine the intrinsic value of the gift.
A relevant story concerns an old farmer who broke some good news to his wife one day. “Our cow just gave birth to twin calves; one brown and one white” he said. “We’ll raise them together and when the time comes to sell, we’ll keep what we get for one and donate the money for the other to the Lord’s work.” His wife asked him which calf was the Lord’s. “I’ll make that decision when we sell” he replied.
A few days later, he entered the kitchen looking unhappy. “What happened?” his wife asked. “Bad news,” he replied, “The Lord’s calf is dead.” “Wait,” said his wife; “you didn’t decide which calf was the Lords.” “Yes, I did” he said. “I decided it was the white one. And the white one died. The Lord’s calf is dead.”
Giving – and especially sacrificial giving – is one of the secrets to a happy and fulfilling life. Perhaps too few ever discover – and enjoy – the truth of this. The reality is summed up in the old saying: There is more blessing in giving, than receiving”.