The Parable of Giving

The Parable of Giving

By Eric Bolsmann

 There are two seas in Israel. One is fresh and fish are in it. Splashes of green adorn its banks. Trees spread their branches over it, and stretch out their roots to sip its healing waters. Along its shores the children play. The river Jordan makes this sea with sparkling water from the hills. So it laughs in the sunshine. And men built their houses near it and birds make their nests; and every kind of life is happier because it is there.

  The river Jordan flows on south into another sea. There is no splash off fish, no fluttering leaf, no song of birds, no children’s laughter. Travelers choose another route, unless on urgent business. The air hangs heavy about bits waters, and neither man, nor beast, nor birds will drink. What makes the difference in these neighbor seas? Not the river Jordan. Not the soil in which they lie; nor the country around about.

  This is the difference. The Sea of Galilee receives but does not keep the Jordan. For every drop that flows into it, another flows out. The giving and receiving go in equal measure. The other sea is shrewder, hoarding its income jealously. It will not be tempted into any generous impulse. Every drop it gets its keeps. The Sea of Galilee gives and lives. The other sea gives nothing. It is named the Dead Sea.

How can we relate this parable to our daily life? The principle of giving is simple enough. As we give we receive. But is giving really that simple? You may have heard members of charismatic churches saying that God want’s you to be rich. “Give generously and God will bless you with riches”, Pastor’s tell members of their congregations at regular intervals, and that one will recognize ‘givers’ by the fruit they bear. This fruit is usually measured in tangible riches, such as luxury sedans in the parking space, Tuscan villas in leafy suburbs and expensive holidays in foreign lands. Do you know anyone who does not want to be rich? Even the Pastor wants’ to live a comfortable life with all the material blessings many people take for granted. By reminding people of the eternal truth that the more they give, the more richly they will be rewarded, clergymen too can drive 4 x 4s and live in sea facing bungalows, or enjoy antiques and oil paintings, Persians carpets and aged Bordeaux in the privacy of their secured homes.

  There are religions denominations who stipulate that ten per cent of one’s annual earnings should be given for charity. By applying this formula, someone who earns $10 000 a month should give a minimum of R1 000 to his Church. Such a person is surely counted as valuable giver and will be rewarded with abundance. But what about the skinny old man who drops a mere 50 cent into the collection basket? This man may have been a poor pensioner who gave half of what he possessed. It was a small gift, but he was the biggest giver.

  If we look at the ten percent rule, we may discover that those who practice this are not necessary blessed with material wealth. On the other hand, most successful businesses are headed by men and women who give wholeheartedly. Talking about business, there is a story of a luxury hotel in Paris that, many years ago, was on the brink of bankruptcy. The head porter persuaded a bank to loan him a vast sum of money so that he could take over the ailing business. He had devised a scheme of sharing the profits he anticipated with every employee, from the lowest dishwasher to the sales executive and the general manager. Lawyers drew up contracts and everyone agreed to work for a minimum wage with only marginally differences in pay among the many and varied positions until the business was on a sound footing. The dedication shown by every single member of staff translated into almost immediate results. In a very short time the hotel became one of the most profitable businesses in the town and with every employee being a shareholder, the bonuses that could be distributed by far outweighed the salaries paid for equivalent positions in other establishments.

  The moral of this story is that everyone was prepared to give, and this giving was not confined to making initial sacrifices as far as wages were concerned, but to put all their energy into a business they all had a stake in.

  It is of course not always possible to make every member of staff a shareholder of a business. But if we come and think of it, everyone is a shareholder in life.

  But it is nonetheless a fact that successful businessmen are usually thoughtful of others. They are considerate and kind. They meet their obligations and responsibilities fairly and squarely. They are good friends to their friends and can be accounted on in emergencies.

  Another truth I have observed in small business is that those headed by a husband and wife who work in harmony for a common goal I counted as the most successful I dealt with. Both, husband and wife realized that they had to give. They concentrated on giving, on that little extra something that sparks the attraction. It may be a gracious smile, a friendly word to a deliveryman, a simple courtesy. Whatever is was, it was a form of giving.

  There is no surer way of a business to attracting patronage than management making the customer feel that he is an individual respected for being willing to spend his money at a particular place. When a customer is given a distinct service and special courtesy he has not asked for and is not expected to pay for, he will become a patron who is loyal to the business as long as this giving, or extending of the respect he deserves is kept alive.

  This giving of oneself is really showing respect for one’s fellow being and love for human kind. It is not a matter that should be confined to businesses but become a lifestyle of everyone in a society where communication is largely confined to electronic messages.

  As a shareholder of life on our planet, we may ask a stranger we have to speak to over the telephone how he is before we even introduce ourselves without given the slightest thought to the question, and then, without listening to the usual reply, state our case. But this custom considered by many as showing politeness but no true concern has, in reality, no meaning whatsoever. It is not giving of us. If we smile at a stranger in the street we will get a smile back. This is making someone happy. It is an interaction that takes seconds, but imagine if the person you have “blessed” with a smile will do the same to the next person, and this becomes chain reaction in the town you live in, would this not be a wonderful way of extending the most beautiful gift of making the world around us a happier place without spending a cent?

 One key to giving is to give from our hearts – and to do so abundantly. We should give generously of that which we have in abundance to offer without counting on the law of compensation. No everyone has an abundance of money to develop the art of giving judiciously, but we all have gifts to share. In doing so without expecting anything in return or being concerned if others are impressed by the fruit we reap, we will be rewarded with blessings that may be far more valuable than all the money we have deposited in a bank, a luxury sedan in the garage or a seaside mansion we have to our name. Some call this cosmic law karma; I call it little acts of our creator.