What's the Point of Sharing?

Sharing and Caring in All Things

A True Story by Sandy Penny . Life is Magic if You're Paying Attention

Someone once asked me, "What's the point in sharing what I have? For every one I help, there are thousands who are starving and suffering. I can't help them all." 

For years I have practiced "Prosperity Through Generosity" sometimes known as tithing or sharing the wealth. Whenever I receive money, I share it with others even though I may not have a lot of cash at the time. I have learned that, by continuing to share, the energy keeps moving and more money comes in. I also tithe in time by doing my work for no charge when someone can truly not afford it. This has afforded me the opportunity to do many things that I might not have done because of lack of funds. One day, while musing on the subject, I got a little hungry, so off I went to one of my favorite restaurants, not knowing that Spirit had a special challenge and a lesson planned for me.

I headed over to the Enchanted Garden (nice name eh?), and they knew me because I ate there a lot. It was one of my regular hangouts. When I walked in, the regular waitress came over and introduced me to a new waitress. The new waitress, Mary, knowing that I was into spiritual studies had a story and a question for me. She told me how she had been out of work and down to her last $43. She was driving to a job interview and on the way saw a woman holding a baby and a sign that said, "Baby needs Dr. please help." Being soft-hearted, she pulled over to the woman and reached into her purse and handed her $3. As she drove away, in the rear view mirror, she could see the woman clasping her hands and shouting, "Thank you, thank you, thank the Lord."

She thought, “Wow, a lousy $3 makes her so happy,” and she felt good about having given it to her even though her funds were low. When she arrived at her interview, she looked in her purse and found that she had given the woman two twenties and a one instead of three ones. She now had $2 to her name. She was kicking herself and couldn't believe she had given away her last money. The next day she got the job at Enchanted Garden. She asked what I thought about all that.

I told her not to be upset about the money, that perhaps that woman needed exactly that amount for the doctor and that she may have been praying for it. Mary may have been the instrument to answer her prayer and change her belief about prayers being answered and about life in general. She said that was a good way to look at it. That being said, I headed for the ladies room.

While in the ladies room, my guides said to me, "Give her back the money." I protested that I did not get paid for two more days and I wasn't even sure if I had that much in my bank account. They insisted, so I wrote a check for $50 and wrote prosperity through generosity at the bottom. I asked the other waitress to give it to her after I left so she wouldn't refuse it and wouldn't be embarrassed.

But that started me thinking about my checking account, so I went to balance it and see if all my checks were in and how much money I actually had left. I did not want my gesture to be negated by a bounced check. When I did that, I found that I had an extra $500 that could not be accounted for anywhere in my deposits, and all the checks had cleared the account. Suddenly I had 10 times what I had just given away. I felt it was a major sign for me. I was thrilled, and that was a huge lesson, but the biggest lesson was yet to come.

A month later I received a letter from Mary. She said, "I don't know if you remember me, but I just wanted to tell you that I never cashed your check for $50. Money started to come to me from all directions. I framed the check and put it on my wall, and whenever anyone comes into my home, I tell them the story of your generosity."

I choked up and cried. I still can't tell that story without getting misty. And I got the message to think about how many people were being affected by that simple gesture while following my guidance. I will never know exactly how many people were moved by that story, but it was a very powerful lesson for me, and a much better reward than the $500. The small random acts of kindness that we do ripple out into the world and create all kinds of abundance, and it comes back from all directions.

A PROSPERITY BLESSING YOU CAN USE ... Ever since that day, when I give a tip, pay my bills or receive money of any sort, I hold the money in my hands (and the hands of the giver and receiver whenever possible) and say this... "Divine Love through me blesses and multiplies all the good I am and have, all the good I give and receive, Bless the gift, the giver and the receiver. Bless and multiply and multiply and multiply."

ANOTHER SMALL STORY...After telling that story at a class, one of my students tried it and was amazed at what happened. She stopped to buy a sandwich from a charity fund raiser. They were complaining that business was slow because of rain. When she paid them, she said the blessing out loud so they could hear her. They thanked her, and immediately three cars drove up and placed large orders for food. They looked at her and said, "You did that." She smiled and continued her day, knowing that however it happened, that something had happened. It became a mystical experience for all concerned. She felt great and continues to do this all the time now!

Understanding Prosperity through Generosity

The first objection I hear when I talk about this is, "Look at all the people who are rich and do not share their wealth, look at all the misers who just don't care." Well, I can tell you that they are not in abundance. Abundance is more than money - abundance is fullness of life, joyful spirit and magic and adventure in everyday life. That does not mean that people with money cannot be in abundance, just that those who are so fearful of losing what they have that they cannot share it with those who have openly supported them and been emotionally and spiritually available for them end up unhappy with their money and material accomplishments.

There is joy and great reward in making money and working hard. There is a fulfillment that comes from putting in an effort and seeing it manifest and no matter whether the motivation is to see the financial reward or doing the job for its own sake, there are rewards. However, these rewards are small in comparison to what we receive in all areas of our life when we put in an effort on behalf of others. When we move out of our little selves and move into our huge spirits, abundance takes on a new meaning. It no longer has a price tag in dollars. Abundance becomes friendship, loving relationships, financial stability, flow, joyful expression of our higher nature and more conscious connection to our divine spirit. No longer do we consider what the outcome will be when giving of ourselves and resources, we act from the heart in the moment, and it feels totally right, and we are blessed because of it.

Most wealthy people give to charities. Why do they do that? Sometimes it is giving from the heart, and sometimes it is a recognition of an ancient principle, "you have to give to get," you have to be willing to keep the money and energy circulating in order for it to keep coming round again and again. This applies to every area of your life, you have to be willing to give love to receive it, mainly because if you are so closed that you are not giving it, you won't be able to feel it when it is available. You have to be willing to give emotional support for that kind of support to show itself to you. You have to behave in the ways you want others to behave to you - it is the Golden Rule restated, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."

There are people who continually give to you, organizations that dedicate their purpose to serving your spirit, and they do it with open hearts and continual flow. When it comes time to give back to them, do you act from the appreciation you have for what they have given you, or do you act from a sense of lack? Do you take advantage of their generosity or do you continue the cycle of prosperity through generosity? If you are asking yourself why you can never get ahead in life, ask yourself if you have been acting out lack over and over again when your opportunity to be generous comes round? And if you are acting generously, is it from the heart, or are you standing in judgement of those who, in the midst of their lack, cannot bring themselves to be generous to you? If you are standing in judgement, then you are only completing half the equation for abundance, you are giving, but you are holding other people in a "mold" that says they are unable to return the generosity, and that prevents them from changing and acting from their heart.

The remedy for this half-heartedness is to be grateful for everything you have, spend time reflecting on what is abundant in your life, spend time giving thanks for every little blessing that comes your way, no matter how small. Practice focusing on the good in your life, and it will grow the same way that plants respond when we focus positive attention on them. Plant seeds of gratitude, and it will bear the fruit of abundance every time. If you can't begin to feel really thankful because things are pretty bad right now, just begin acting it out, looking for what others might see as a small blessing and giving lip service to it. This tiny step begins to change you - your higher self, angels and the divine source use this small opportunity to show you their great love, mercy, abundance and grace.

What if those people and places that have been providing you with spiritual and emotional sustenance were gone? What if they could no longer serve you because they could not afford to keep the doors open? Where would you go for the things they have been providing you? How would your life be without them? Ask yourself just how important these people and places are to you in making your life better and give to them based on that feeling. Open your heart and give your time, your money, your good thoughts, your ideas, your talents, your connections! Each morning, I click on the hungersite and feed the poor at no cost to me except the little bit of time I give. 

Make a commitment to support those who are supporting you, and suddenly your crop of abundance will be harvested. You will receive time, money, good thoughts, ideas, talents and connections from others. Your life will transform itself into joyful community with like-minded people. You will see the seeds you have planted grow into fruit-bearing trees all around you, and you will experience the amazement, the joy and the fulfillment of going beyond your small self and becoming part of a greater whole. And that serves the world at large and the universe in its highest and best good, as well as yours.