Acts 20:35 is a most intriguing verse. Without going into too much depth, its author essentially has the self-proclaimed “apostle” Paul quoting Jesus as having said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” On its face — fair enough, and yet there is one small problem: nowhere in the Gospels of the Bible do we find Jesus saying these words.Throw in the fact that the “apostle” Paul never once saw Jesus in the flesh and that he never once heard Jesus preach — at any time or on any topic, and we COULD very reasonably conclude that Paul was simply making it all up; that he was simply adding Jesus’ name to this particular exhortation in order to give his own message more credibility; that Jesus never actually said these words at all.

Yes, John 21:25 (a verse whose authenticity has also been questioned by the majority of scholars) does leave the door open for Jesus to have uttered this phrase at some point, and yet the point I wish to make is the following: IT JUST DOESN’T MATTER!

You see, whether Jesus actually said them or not, these words are simply True. It truly IS better to Give than to receive, and every one of us has experienced this psychological & spiritual Reality at some point in our lives.

Indeed, it can even be said that this wisdom is so true that Giving is actually the most pure form of Receiving; that Giving to others is itself actually the greatest Gift we could ever give ourselves (or rather, our Selves).

And the same can be said for the words in the first picture of this post. Frankly, it just doesn’t matter that neither Dumbledore nor Gandalf uttered this particular Wisdom. What matters is that it is True … “Do or do not; there is no try”. This statement is True, and it is especially true in relation to our Giving.

You see, to live a life of deep Meaning & real Purpose, it is not enough for us to gaze longingly at others and merely desire to give to them … It is too little to gaze at the waters of generosity and merely wish to dive in. And it is also not enough to gingerly give whatever is easy or comfortable to those nearby who are in need … It is also too little to approach the pool of Giving and merely dip our feet in it to feebly test the temperature of its waters.

No, my Friends, if we are going to “max it out” — if we are ever going to revel in the raw Bliss & ecstatic Joy that await us all in this stupendously marvelous yet tragically short life, we are going to have to throw all caution to the wind and Give everything we have to Give. For just one moment we are going to have to face all selfishness and all fear and Give to others without holding anything back — and this, especially in those moments we least want to do so; especially for those “least deserving” of the same.

*When we are hungry and on our way to lunch, and the smelly, scary, homeless beggar asks us for some change, we only enter the Kingdom of Heaven when we smile gently into his eyes, touch him softly on the shoulder, and then give him EVERYTHING in our wallets.

*When we are saddened by a great loss or weighted down by a devastating tragedy, and the annoying, intrusive, gently-judgmental Jehovah’s Witness comes knocking at our door, we only enter the Kingdom of Heaven when we smile gently into her eyes, invite her humbly into our homes, and then treat her like Divine Royalty.

*When we are feeling listless & lost and when it seems that the weight of the world has come to rest on our shoulders, and we hear that our enemy has sabotaged our success or slandered us behind our backs, we only enter the Kingdom of Heaven when smile gently into his or her eyes, openly express our forgiveness for that trespass, and then give him or her a long & sincere hug.

There is an ocean of LOVE within every chance meeting; an ocean of Giving waiting ever so calmly for us to feel its smooth waters again … Remember this today, my Friends. Look for this ocean in the eye of every stranger, and then dive fully into those waters, with an abandon as reckless as it is faithful.

Dive in all the Way … and let this Ocean be you.

“True generosity is measured not by how much we give away,
but rather by how much we have left.” ~ Shane Claiborne