THE GIFT OF LEARNING (11): WAYS TO LEARN V

 "It is what we think we know already that often prevents us from learning.” - Claude Bernard

Ways to Learn

Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, study, or by being taught. Its acquiring new skills, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, etc. It may involve synthesizing different types of information.

In discussing this gift of learning, try experimenting; make mistakes, and ask silly questions; just have fun while at it - fun is a very vital part of learning, especially as an adult. Life isn't a dress rehearsal, so make the most of it. Consider some more tips on learning below.

1. Teach others. To learn a subject better and improve your own understanding, try teaching others. This is a wonderful way to learn. Joseph Joubert once said that "To teach is to learn twice." In teaching others how to learn things, you will find that you learn even more than the students. Not only will you need to have a good grasp of your materials, you will need to respond to the querying minds of your students and extend your understanding beyond what you have considered it to be up to the point of each question asked of you.

2. Observe. Look more intently at your environment, examine both the usual and the unusual, and look at it from varying dimensions. Respond to what you observe, notice then examine your own response. If you find that it's difficult to observe things for long; consider meditating. This will help you to learn to see things you haven't noticed before.

3. Practice. This is a great way to help you learn more completely and retain what you've learned longer. It will also help you to discover flaws and strengths in your learning, which is how we progress as humans. You never know what you might discover, unravel or link together.

We should realize that our lives as humans are shaped more from what we know, than what we don't. We have to make learning a priority in our lives; it gives us an edge - more like life has given us a discount.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (10): WAYS TO LEARN IV

"You aren’t learning anything when you’re talking. - Lyndon B. Johnson

“Almost anything can become a learning experience if there is enough caring involved.” - Mary MacCraken

Most of us today have gotten so submerged in our daily lives that we forget to learn on a daily basis. Family, work, and social media are all great ways to grow and enjoy life; they provide new experience and countless opportunities for daily learning. I believe learning is best gained through concerted effort.

Here are some more simple ways you can learn something new every day.

1. Improve/Get better. Refine your existing skills. Whatever they are; singing, computers, dancing, cooking e.t.c. Hone these skills and take them to the next level. Also try new things, both inside and outside your preferred skill areas.

2. Do things outside your vocation. As a grown up, your experience MAY be your best teacher. Whether you work for pay or not, focus on a project or activity that grabs your attention - try lots of things and notice the results. You never know when an opportune discovery might arise as a result of your observations and innovative approaches.

3. Create. Not all learning comes from the outside. Matter of fact, some of the most powerful learning takes place when you are creating something for yourself. Creation can be artistic or scientific; physical or intellectual; social or solitary. Try different media and refine those you like the most.

4. Touch. Helen Keller knew more about living a fulfilling life than most of us could ever imagine. She was one of the most inspirational minds of modern times. She relied almost 100% on touch to learn about the world in which she lived. Follow her lead and spend a few moments a day just noticing the temperature and texture of the things that surround you.

5. Write. Like a gratitude journal, a knowledge journal is an attempt to take your everyday experiences and extract the most valuable thoughts from them. Keep a notebook to document daydreams, thought experiments, and stressful times and you’ll automatically solidify the knowledge you gained from each.

There's a need to constantly increase our knowledge - learning new skills, and honing old ones cannot be over emphasized. Someone once said "we start dying, when we stop learning". To stay alive in this present age and time, LEARN DAILY, we must.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (9): WAYS TO LEARN III

George Herbert once said, "In doing we learn.” And Mark Twain added that, “Supposing is good, but finding out is better.” Yet, Anthony J. D’Angelo dropped the stunner, “Develop a passion for learning. If you do, you will never cease to grow.”

Ways to Learn III

In continuing in this series its imperative for us to understand that certain ways to learn valuable things might not only be in the formal classroom but also from our normal everyday experiences that we, for the most part ignore. Consider these suggestions.

1. Look at learning as an exploration and opportunity, not a chore. Don't just force yourself to learn. Instead, learn things that you need to learn alongside things you love to learn. Follow your heart, as well as your sense of duty.
Even when you're learning the things you have to, seek to go beyond what you're required to learn - make your learning experience much more well-rounded.

2. Meditate / Reflect/ Think. This is like saying “pump your brakes”. Believe it or not, certain things can’t be learned from the internet – or even the rest of the world. Some questions can only be answered from the inside. Taking time to be still and pray/meditate/reflect is one of the best gifts you can give yourself – and it will make you a better learner.

3. Look. This is similar to pumping your brakes, but quite different at the same time. Look at things from different perspectives. If you’re used to seeing things from a distance, try a close up look at them . Look around and find something fun to examine.

To really learn, some of us need to read more relevant books, post fewer tweets or take our "faces off the book", if you know what I mean – creativity, thoughtfulness and thinking skills are released when we actually read a full book cover to cover. All the keys to our future success, lay in the past experience of others. Make sure to read; at least one good book a month and your life will blossom.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (8): 3 WAYS TO LEARN

"The illiterate of the 21st century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn, and relearn.” - Alvin Toffler
"Education consists mainly of what we have unlearned.” - Mark Twain

Ways to Learn

 Really in life unlearning an already learned habit, or knowledge is learning too. Learning new things isn't the only time we learn. Not at all! And there are ways to go about this learning process. We started to talk about ways to learn days ago and in continuing let's consider the following ways also.

Learn the basics. It can be a grind at times, but you'll be able to remember, connect and figure out all kinds of complicated things through relatively few, simple building blocks if you learn some math and natural-science concepts. You can look up precise formulas and trivia again later, but the concepts will do the most good and save a lot of time in repeated look-ups if mostly learned by heart.

Learn the basics: Mix learning the basics with intellectual hobbies and games. Don't space them out so far that you forget what came before.
If you find some issues too complex you can look them up as you learn things that relate to their use. Read books by people who experienced difficulties but have still managed to find workarounds without giving up. Their ways of learning might give you a hint or two to help you improve your own.

Slow Down: like seriously - stop running too fast. If you jump straight from the bed to the shower, to the car and then hit work. You're on the fast lane. How can you uncover the questions life presents in this way – much less their answers. Slow down a little, ride your bike or walk to work one day in a week. I bet you’ll notice things you’ve never seen before.

I once heard that the reason God gave us two ears and one mouth is so that we can listen more and talk less. I doubt if some of us actually do listen at all. I mean really listen – to a lecture, a spouse, a parent, a friend's pain or even the lyrics of a song. Active listening is one way to encourage learning every single time we practice it. Great public speakers are great because they listen; to the feedback (audible and otherwise) that they get from the audience and they respond to it accordingly. Active listening will not only slow you down, but also teach you something new about the sights and sounds we often take for granted.

We all have to once in a while unlearn our hold habits and allow room for new programming so that our Beloved, wlives can tally with the advancements in this 21st century. If we don't make a conscious and deliberate effort to learn, it means we have unconsciously chosen not to learn.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (7): FIRE YOUR DESIRE

“Only through persistent inquisition and ceaseless importunity does a man enter in through the door of knowledge.” - James Allen

Fire your Desire

Suffice it to say therefore, that the man who must learn must develop a habit of insatiable inquisition. He must learn to ask questions and not just wonder how and why things are the way they are. Sterling W. Sill in "Miracle of Personality" narrated a story, that, A young man came to Socrates one day and said, "Mr. Socrates, I have come 1,500 miles to gain wisdom and learning. I want learning, so I come to you." Socrates said, "Come, follow me." He led the way down to the seashore. They waded out into the water until they were up to their waists, and then Socrates seized his companion and forced his head under the water. In spite of his struggles, Socrates held him under. Finally, when most of his resistance was gone, Socrates laid him out on the shore and returned to the market place. When the visitor had regained his strength, he returned to Socrates to learn the reason for this behavior. Socrates said to him, "When you were under the water, what was the one thing you wanted more than anything else?" He said, "I wanted air." Then Socrates said, "When you want knowledge and understanding as badly as you wanted air, you won't have to ask anyone to give it to you."

Understand that every worthwhile venture in life, begins with the process of inquiry. This is Socrates’ view point on this matter, "Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings so that you shall come easily by what others have labored hard for. In essence, If the learner sits and lets knowledge flow over him like water over a rock, nothing is going to happen to him. It is only when a genuine interaction between the learner and the "stuff" of education takes place does any observable change occur.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (6): WAYS TO LEARN

"I do not think much of a man who is not wiser today than he was yesterday." -
Abraham Lincoln

Gift of Learning

Learning should be a daily adventure that we carry and examine throughout life. It doesn't stop just because school does. People who are truly effective generally did not get that way by sitting still, they applied themselves to constant learning and fighting against all odds (both themselves and external factors) to grow and learn daily. By making a commitment to learn something new every day, we not only enjoy what we discover, but we'll be able to apply our knowledge and become teachers to future generations. Bill Moyers puts it thus, "When I learn something new – and it happens every day – I feel a little more at home in this universe, a little more comfortable in the nest.”

In examining the Gift of Learning, how do you learn? Read the story below.
"Last year my wife was diagnosed with Lymes Disease. I had only met three or four people with the disease. They say "Knowledge is power", and I sure lacked the power to even start on the road of helping my wife through this difficult time. In the four months preceding her diagnosis I immersed myself in studies and articles on Lyme Disease and its cure. Experience alone, wasn't the best teacher. Not only because I didn't have any experience, but also because by studying and reading I was able to glean from thousands of people who had knowledge on the subject."

To answer the question of "how to learn" consider the following random list of several useful tips.

1. Ask. Ask. Ask - This principle follows from the scriptures,“Ask, and it will be given you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives. He who seeks finds. To him who knocks it will be opened."- Mat 7:7-8. There's a saying that, "he who asks questions never gets lost". More than anything, asking questions is the number one way to learn more every day.

2. Read Daily - If you are alive then you have time to read. With the wealth of information available at our fingertips today, there’s not a single reason to not read. If a question comes to mind and you can’t find an answer immediately, write it down for future investigation. If a question was powerful enough to make its way into your thoughts, it'll most likely stick around too - for when it'll be needed.

3. Search (Seek) - hunt down answers to your most basic questions. No question is so small that it doesn’t have an answer worthy of you.

Beloved, for us to remain relevant in every endeavour in life we must constantly give ourselves to learning daily. If we're admonished to study, in the scriptures, then study we must and by all means too

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (5): IS EXPERIENCE THE BEST TEACHER?

"By three methods we may learn wisdom: First, by reflection, which is noblest; Second, by imitation, which is easiest; and third by experience, which is the bitterest." - Confucius

Gift of Learning

We are familiar with the cliché, "experience is the best teacher". Right? People use it almost every time. I beg to differ in my opinion and state unequivocally that experience is, and can be the worst teacher - that is if you are lucky to be among the few who live to tell the experience afterwards.

My point is, that experience like any teacher has it's shortcomings. However, I agree that learning from our experience is long lasting. We tend to remember those lessons for a long time and always remember not to repeat them again.

"At the tender age of four, I remember jumping into our in-ground swimming pool, backwards. The result can well be imagined: a bloody chin, 6 stitches and an experiential lesson in cause-and-effect that no textbook could have instilled." - Anonymous

No doubt experience has its role to play in the scheme of learning life's lessons but it should never be allowed to rule our lives if we're to succeed in our quest for the right avenues through which we can become relevant - through learning!

Learning is a lifetime process. History has it that President Ronald Regan died at about age 90. But the interesting fact about his death is the place where he died - in his library. He died a lifelong learner. We must acquire this fundamental discipline because it is as normal as food and physical exercise.

If we are to ever progress in any area of our lives, we must heed the call to lifelong learning. Our world is dynamic and things don't stay the same. It’s important to continue learning so we can keep up. If we don’t, the world will pass us by. We’re all born with natural talents and abilities, but that doesn’t mean we’re masters of those talents the first time we try. Lifelong learners are always honing their skills and learning new ones.

THE GIFT OF LEARNING (4): THE "HOW" OF LEARNING

Being ignorant is not so much a shame, as being unwilling to learn. - Benjamin Franklin

Gift of Learning

The dictionary defines learning as "the acquisition of knowledge or skills through experience, practice, study, or by being taught". And Wikipedia says "learning is a goal-directed act. It's acquiring new, or modifying and reinforcing, existing knowledge, behaviours, skills, values, or preferences and may involve synthesizing different types of information"

It doesn't matter how we chose to see it, we must understand that its an act - it doesn't happen all at once, but builds upon and is shaped by what is already known; whether we're acquiring a new skill or unlearning an old one. Learning may be viewed as a process, or an act that bring about changes - the changes produced are relatively permanent.

In acquiring knowledge we must realize that we do not have to spend our life in a classroom. There’s nothing wrong with taking a class, but there’s a lot to be learned from the world around you. You can read a book, or Newspaper, browse the web for interesting articles. We can learn a lot from having a conversation with a friend (or stranger), and even watching programs on TV. It doesn’t really matter where, or how you choose to learn, just learn.

However, no matter how much one may desire to learn there are certain written and unwritten guidelines to follow, that is the "How to Learn" - this is based on whether we are talking about formal or informal learning - that can make the process worthwhile. There are some rather general tips on "How to Learn" that we shall be examining as we progress in this series

LEARNING...

WISDOM NUGGET: Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school.

                                                                                                                                 - Albert Einstein

Source: Photopin

Its alarming to find that some folks still think that learning is a luxury for a few individuals, or that it should be done during our early (formative) years.
Learning should be looked at as something well beyond formal schooling; it encompasses our entire life cycle. Learning allows us to stay relevant in life and to be ahead of the game. If you don't render yourself obsolete someone else will; like your employer.

Learning is the price innovators will gladly pay for staying ahead of everyone else. In order for you to create the new results you want in your life, learning is a path you must be willing to take. It provides opportunities to continually expand your capacity. The world is always changing around us. Plus there's nothing anyone of us can do to impede the changes that happen technologically in our environment, but we can make our selves relevant and invaluable in every stage of these advancements by constantly and continuously giving ourselves to LEARNING.

Take the birth of the automobile for instance; what did the first automobile look like? With that picture in mind, compare it to the automobiles today, you'll agree that the difference is almost irreconcilable. Automobiles today are a direct result of human beings gaining a deeper understanding of how to make cars function and look better.

What new skill will allow you to move forward from where you are now to where you want to go? Don't hold back; go and get it. When you change your thoughts you change your results.
This is how John Locke put it, "the actions of men are the best interpreters of their thought."

AN ANCIENT SECRET FOR MODERN (WO)MEN

Goodness is about character - integrity, honesty, kindness, generosity, moral courage, and the like. More than anything else, it is about how we treat other people.

                                                                                                                                - Dennis Prager

Source: Photo pin

Many years ago a lad of 16 was obliged to leave home because his father was too poor to support him any longer. So he trudged away with all worldly possessions in a bundle dangling from his hand, resolving as he journeyed to set up in business as a soap maker in New York.

When the country boy arrived in the big city, he found it hard to get work. Remembering the last words of his mother and also the godly advice given him by the captain of a canal boat, the youth dedicated his life to God, determining to return to his Maker an honest tithe of every dollar he earned.
So, when his first dollar came in, the young man sacredly dedicated ten cents of it to God. This he continued to do. And the dollars rolled in! Soon this young man became partner in a soap business; and when his partner died a few years later, he became sole owner of the concern.

The prosperous businessman now instructed his bookkeeper to open an account with the Lord and to credit to it one tenth of all his income. The business grew miraculously. The honest proprietor now dedicated two-tenths of his earnings; and then three-tenths, four-tenths; and finally, five-tenths. It seemed as if his sales increased in exact proportion to his generosity, so that soon his brand of soap became a household word throughout the world.

The late William Colgate was this man who was so prospered in return for his faithfulness.

Things to Learn About Generousity

Wisdom Nuggets: Beginning today, treat everyone you meet as if they were going to be dead by midnight. Extend to them all the care, kindness and understanding you can muster, and do it with no thought of any reward. Your life will never be the same again.

                                                                                                                          - Og Mandino 

Source: Photopin

 

People who don't like to give must realise that they are being controlled by their wealth. What they own possesses them; they do not possess the things they own.

 People filed into church one Pentecost Sunday and collected the bright red carnation the ushers were sharing. The people listened attentively to the reading of the Pentecost story from the Book of Acts about how the disciples had heard “what sounded like a powerful wind from heaven”; about how the Holy Spirit had appeared “like tongues of fire.” Then came the sermon: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us,” the preacher began. “Like the powerful wind from heaven!” shouted a woman sitting in the first pew. Then she threw one of the red carnations toward the altar. The preacher began again: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon us.” The same woman’s voce rang out again, “Like the tongues of fire, the tongues of fire!” Again, she threw a red carnation toward the altar. The preacher looked straight at her and said, “Now throw your pocketbook.” To which the woman replied, “Preacher, you have just calmed the wind and put out the fire.”

We may laugh at such stories, but it should be taken seriously.

 

RECIPROCATING KIND GESTURES

Wisdom Nugget: Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.

                                                                                                                      - Mark Twain

Source: Photopin

Often we think of reciprocating in terms of repaying our benefactor. Perhaps recalling an occasion in the life of D. L. Moody will give us a different perspective.

Once, when Mr. Moody was in New York, he was helped tremendously by R. K. Remington. As he was leaving on the train, Mr. Moody grasped his friend by the hand and said, "If you ever come to Chicago, call on me and I will try to return your kindness." Mr. Remington replied, "Don't wait for me; do it to the first man that comes along."

However this blessing does not just apply to the law of reciprocity but to the very basic philosophy of showing kindness to others generally.

In Edwin Markham's lovely poem, "The Shoes of Happiness," Conrad, the old cobbler, dreamed one night that the Master would come to be his guest. When the dawn was yet young, he arose and decorated his little shop with bright and gay flowers and waited. When the Master would come, he would wash the feet where the spikes had been and would kiss the hands that the nails had punctured.
But the Master did not come. A beggar came, and Conrad gave him a pair of shoes. An old woman came bent from the weight of a heavy burden. He lifted the load off her back and refreshed her with food. And finally, just before the day was about to fade away into darkness, a little child came. Her eyes were wet with tears, and in pity Conrad led her back to her mother. But the divine guest never came:
Then soft in the silence a voice he heard
"Lift up your heart, for I kept My word.
Three times I came to your friendly door;
Three times my shadow was on your floor.
I was the beggar with bruised feet,
I was the woman you gave to eat,
I was the child in the homeless street."

Alexander the Great and the Beggar

Wisdom Nuggets: To practice five things under all circumstances constitutes perfect virtue; these five are gravity, generosity of soul, sincerity, earnestness, and kindness.

                                                                                                                             - Confucius

Source: Photopin

 

Your approach to giving doesn’t just show reverence to the receiver but also mirrors your values as a giver.

 No other illustrations paints a clearer picture of this than the story told of a roadside beggar who asked alms from Alexander the Great as he passed by. The man was poor and wretched and had no claim upon the ruler, no right even to lift a solicitous hand. Yet the Emperor threw him several gold coins. A courtier was astonished at his level of giving and commented, "Sir, copper coins would adequately meet a beggar's need. Why give him gold?" Alexander responded in royal fashion, "Cooper coins would suit the beggar's need, but gold coins suit Alexander's giving."

 Giving is not dependent on the nature or level of the receiver but should mirror the nature of the giver. It is my pleasure to announce to you that you are royalty. Therefore, always give like the royalty that you are. Let your value system and true nature be reflected in your giving today.

 

You Too Can Save Lives

Wisdom Nuggets: Let us try to teach generosity and altruism, because we are born selfish.

                                                                                                                  - Richard Dawkins

Source: Photopin

 

EVER so often, when we stretch forth a benevolent hand and reach out to someone, we never know whose life we could be saving. This is truly one of life’s greatest beauties.

Tutu was almost late for an interview, and feared that lateness could disqualify him from getting this dream job. He quickly purchased a ticket and got himself a seat. Then before long came this elderly man, just after the bus had been filled. The man was looking so bewildered and despondent. The man approached the lady on the seat by the door, explaining to her how he is needed urgently in the hospital for an immediate blood transfusion for his only son who was at the verge of death. The lady turned down the man, pointing out that she was in a hurry somewhere. Touched by the man’s plight, the young man obliged the elderly man, gave up his seat and alighted from the bus. The bus had hardly left the park, before the he was told that, that was the last bus for the day. But as he stood by the road outside the park feeling like the biggest fool, a vehicle pulled over, whose driver needed to get to exactly the same place where the young man’s interview was taking place, but the diver didn’t know his way around. The driver of the car, who ended up being a cousin to the MD of the company where the young man was scheduled for the interview, simply took the young man straight in to his uncle’s office and narrated his experience with the young man. The MD felt so moved that the young man had helped his cousin, that he simply gave him the job.

Every time we give up something, we have no idea what we are securing in the future. He just wanted to help save a life and ended up securing a good job on a platter of gold.

 

This is how Mahatma Ghandi puts it. "The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others."

What Gifts Mean

Wisdom Nugget: Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need.

                                                                                                                                   - Khalil Gibran

Source: Photo pin

Someone once said that one of the greatest indications of a person’s worth is shown by the quality of gifts he receives, not just in quantity but by the reference attached to the gift. For example when you invite special guests to your home, do you warm up the leftovers in the refrigerator and serve them on paper plates? Of course not. Most of us prepare a special meal, use our best dishes and arrange our schedules so that we can spend quality time with our guests. In other words, we offer them our very best. The quality of sacrifice we are willing to make tells how important they are to us.

A lawyer and a merchant, joined a group of tourists who were travelling around the world. Before they started, a minister earnestly asked them to observe and remember any unusual and interesting things that they might see in the missionary countries through which the party was to travel. The men promised—carelessly, perhaps—to do so. One day in Korea, they saw in a field by the side of the road a boy pulling a crude plough, while an old man held the handles and directed it. The lawyer was amused, and took a snapshot of the scene. "That's a curious picture! I suppose they are very poor," he said to the missionary who was interpreter and guide to the party. "Yes," was the quiet reply "That is the family of Chi Noui. When the church was being built they were eager to give something to it, but they had no money so they sold their only ox and gave the money to the church. This spring they are pulling the plough themselves." The lawyer and the businessman by his side were silent for some moments. Then the businessman said, "That must have been a real sacrifice."

"They did not call it that," said the missionary. "They thought it was fortunate they had an ox to sell."

The amount of sacrifice always indicates the amount of love and reference.

How To Invest

Wisdom Nugget: "...self sacrifice is never entirely unselfish, for the giver never fails to receive."

Source: Photopin

 

 

Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.

 

People are more afraid of losing when they invest. They ask, what if it does not produce a profitable return on investment?  Imagine what you would invest if you were guaranteed a 100% return on investment? Well let me introduce you to such an opportunity.

During the summer, a clergyman went to see a florists fine collection of roses:—there were white roses, red roses, yellow roses, climbing roses, and roses in pots, the colourful giant of battles and the modest moss rose—every species he had ever heard of, were there in rich profusion. The lady began plucking, right and left. Some bushes with but a single flower she plundered. The clergyman remonstrated. "You are robbing yourself, dear madam." "Oh, no! Do you not know that the way to make a rosebush abundantly produce healthy roses is to pluck its flowers freely? I lose nothing by what I give away," she explained.

We never lose anything by what we give away. Here is an investment that always guarantees a return.

 

Visit a friend later in the day. Spend time with your family. Always find opportunities to give. Give generously and freely, it is sure to produce a harvest of returns.

 

As a sage said, “self sacrifice is never entirely unselfish, for the giver never fails to receive”

REASONS TO INVEST WISELY

Wisdom Nugget: Take time to gather up the past so that you will be able to draw from your experience and invest them in the future.

                                                                                                                     - Jim Rohn

 

Picture from Photo Pin

 

 

Fela Durotoye once defined the word "POOR" as Passing Over Opportunity Regularly. Following that definition, the difference between you and the fellow who always hangs around you for a hand-out is that you maximized your opportunities and they didn't. Simply put, you could have been them and vice versa. So instead of talking them down and treating them despicably the next time they show up why not count your blessings; be thankful that you're in a position to give.

A story is told of Martin of Tours who met a beggar when he didn't have any money. But he noticed the beggar was freezing, and gave him what he had. He took off his soldier's overcoat, old and faded as it was, cut it in half, and wrapped half around the beggar. During the night Martin had a dream. He saw heaven opened, and Christ wearing half an overcoat. One of the angels asked, "Lord, why are you wearing that shabby old coat?" Christ answered, "Because my servant gave it to me." It was only a dream.

It pays to give.