‘In all this, I have given you an example that by such work we must support the weak, remembering the words of the Lord Jesus, for he himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’   (Acts 20:35)

Mr. Mac cut grass, raked leaves, and worked on my grandmother’s many flower gardens when I was a boy. Mr. Mac was probably in his early twenties, and he lived in a different part of town. Because he didn’t have a car, he either had to hitch a ride or walk to our house.

One year at Thanksgiving, my grandfather said that we were going to visit Mr. Mac’s family. We drove over to his house and walked into a gathering with Mr. Mac’s parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts, and many cousins. We gave them a turkey and ham, and they gave us a sweet potato pie and some sausage.

After we had been there a while, I saw a man who worked at the town’s most popular garage drive up. After saying “Happy Thanksgiving” to everyone, he handed my grandfather the keys to the car. My grandfather then put those keys into Mr. Mac’s hands and said, “Mac, I thought you needed a car to help you get around a little easier.”

Everybody began to cry. Perhaps my grandfather most of all.

We soon left the party, dropped off the man from the garage, and went home. When we got to our driveway, my grandfather said, “Jamie, I hope you’ll always remember this day. It was a good day for Mr. Mac and his family, and it was a good day for us.”

Often when I read today’s line from scripture—”It is more blessed to give than to receive”—I remember that Thanksgiving Day with Mr. Mac and his family.

I encourage you to think about what today’s scripture could be saying to you. Is there something you could do for someone that would prompt tears of joy or that would inspire you to say what my grandfather said to me, “It was a good day for them and for us?”

Reflection Questions:

1. Can you remember an occasion when you knew that it was indeed more blessed to give than to receive? If so, when did that happen?

2. Who would be blessed by a gift from you? How would you be blessed by giving it? When are you going to act so that both them and you could be so blessed?

3. Do you have a hard time receiving gifts? Have you ever received a gift so awkwardly that you took away some of the joy of the moment? If so, what would help you to be a more gracious receiver?