“One gives freely, and yet increases even more, another withholds, and yet only suffers want.”

Christmas is just around the corner, so of course this month’s principle is about giving! Hopefully, your Christmas shopping is done, and you get to spend the rest of the month enjoying the season. If not, maybe this principle will serve as some motivation.

We hear people say “it’s better to give than to receive” but have you ever thought about why that is? Sure, it’s good not to be selfish. But why is giving better than receiving? It’s easy to look at the one who receives and say, “Wow, they are getting something for nothing. That’s nice.”

But what about the giver? Why is it better to be that person? If you focus on the first half of this principle, it starts to answer part of that question: Those who give actually experience a greater increase.

This probably leads you to the next question of, “An increase in what?” The answer can be many different things.

Giving comes in many forms: Giving advice, lending a hand, assisting with a favor, sharing a meal, helping with a burden, or even giving an actual gift. What’s interesting about giving, is that when someone receives, especially when they are in need, they desire to repay even if there is no expectation of repayment. In fact, when there is no expectation of repayment, the receiver will often want to give more.

When someone gives freely to those they interact with when in need, before long, they have a large increase of individuals who desire to also give back freely to them. Giving freely means giving with no expectation. It does not mean giving in hopes that more will be returned to you.

On the other hand, when we withhold from those in need, who will be there to help us when we are in need? The truth is, life is always an up and down journey. Sometimes we have much and sometimes we have little. Is it not better to have people who are willing to help you when you have little?

There is much more to this principle. And there are many more ways in which a free giver increases. But I will leave it here and let you think about this principle in your own life and ask yourself, “How is it possible to increase by freely giving more?”