--It Is In Giving That We Receive ~~

--"It is more blessed to give than receive" --[ACTS 20:35 /KJV]

--OUR trusted slogan "travel light" was unexpectedly challenged when we set out on a trip with our friend Brother Andrew. This was in the 1960s, when it was "impossible" for Christians from the West to meet with Christians behind the Iron Curtain. For years, however, Andrew had been doing just that.

This was to be a short trip, just into East Germany for a few days to watch him in action, so my husband John and I brought only a single small bag for both of us. Andrew was packing when we arrived at his house. Into a large suitcase on his bed he was putting shirts, sweaters, jackets--most with the store tags still attached.

"Why so many clothes for four days? John asked.
"Oh, I won't be bringing any of this back," Andrew said.
The people we'd be visiting, he explained, like all believers behind the Iron Curtain, paid a tremendous price for their faith, forgoing good education, good jobs, good housing. "They have so little that even a pair of socks can make a difference." All he brought back from his trips, he said, was a satchel with his soiled clothes. "so the customs inspector doesn't get curious."

I looked at the faded sweater Andrew was wearing. "You look like you could use a few new clothes yourself," I said.

Sure, he agreed; he'd buy a new sweater one of these days. "But you know what? I won't enjoy it half as much as I do buying a sweater for someone else. It won't be mine the same way. The only things you have forever are the ones you give away."

It's wisdom as we travel through life, too, I thought. Our talents, our experience, our time, our things--they don't mean much until they're shared. ~~

--"Lord Jesus, what am I clinging to that You want me to give away? Lead, guide and direct my steps through this brief journey of life."

--Guideposts/ES~

--"God Who Listens" // Chris Tomlin (ft. Thomas Rhett) //<https://youtu.be/m1khJCXGcUI>
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