My neighbor always takes care of my lawn while he is taking care of his. If he mows his lawn, he mows mine, too. If he is blowing his leaves, he blows my leaves, too. Even if I tell him it is totally not necessary (I do own a lawn mower and leaf blower!), he cannot be stopped. He works a second shift, so he gets home two or three hours before I do, and he just gets outside and takes care of the lawn(s).
Last week, when I was out at the store, I saw gift cards at the cash register for a restaurant I know he and his wife like. So, I picked up some gift cards and when my children went trick-or-treating at his house, they gave him the gift cards. He was very grateful. I was, too. I finally felt like maybe we were “even.”
This weekend, while I was playing cab driver for my children, he not only blew all the leaves, but he also raked and bagged them, too! Back to a deficit.
A wise mentor once told me that it is better to give than to receive, but it is much harder to receive than it is to give. Gifts are a kind of “currency” in our culture. A gift given is a gift owed. It is very hard to accept a gift without feeling compelled to give one yourself.
My neighbor always says that it's no trouble for him to take care of both lawns. Neither yard is very big and he is already outside and has his equipment out. I genuinely believe that he actually enjoys being outdoors and doing something nice for me. It is so hard to just accept that and be grateful.
Acts of love do not operate as an economic system. Love is not a currency. There isn’t a way to exchange one act of love for another. Love can only be extended and accepted. Love can grow and blossom. Love can spread and become a force for good. But it cannot be exchanged or bought or traded.
During this season of gift giving and receiving, particularly as supply chains are busted, can we focus on the ways in which we can give and spread love? Imagine the world we could have this holiday season if we gave acts of love instead of wrapped packages. Could we taste the kingdom of God?
