Trade the Good Thing for the Better Thing.

“I think I’m going to cry,” said the young boy.

“Why’s that?” asked our volunteer.

“Because I’m so happy!” the young boy smiled.

I initially thought this boy was overjoyed and ecstatic because of the epic ice cream sundae he held in his hand. Or maybe because we just finished an hour of non-stop laughter, silly games, and candy galore.

While all those things surely added to this moment, I dug a little deeper and found the true root of his joy. He was happy because he was generous.

Rewind to a few moments earlier. He had won the final minute-to-win-it challenge rewarding him the opportunity to get first pick at a pile of epic prizes. To our surprise, instead of choosing one of the MASSIVE Hot Wheels sets, he selected the Elsa doll because it turns out “Elsa is his sister’s favorite.”

This young boy sacrificed a good thing — his own, well-deserved I might add, jumbo Hot Wheels toy. For a better thing, the abundance of joy that came from serving and loving his little sister.

This concept is simple, but as adults, we so often get it wrong. We hold tightly onto the things in our lives - money, resources, power, vulnerability, connections -  because we fear our generosity and sacrifices won’t pay us back. Or maybe we fear that there is not enough to go around.

Sometimes we think “Well, one day when I have that, I will be able to give this.” But friends, what if you just gave what you already have today? Generosity isn’t limited to money. It could be time. Connection. A helping hand. A listening ear.

We often miss out on the better thing because we are so afraid of losing a good thing. But the biggest secret about generosity is that when you’re generous, you’re not actually losing anything. In fact, you are often gaining the better thing. The deeper thing. The long-lasting thing. The invisible thing that you won’t see, but that you can always feel - joy, abundance, hope, and gratitude.