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