A generous spirit makes life meaninful

She came up to receive her award and said thank you to me. I almost fell over as I looked into her eyes. This little girl had given her life savings to go to the food pantry at our church. She had been saving her pennies over the last two years so she could get something special. When the walk-a-thon came up for our pantry, she decided this was going to be her special thing. So she handed over $50 in coins to feed the hungry.

(The kids from Wild wood Christian Academy raised over $1400 for our pantry.)

We can all learn something from her. Jesus once said, "Where your treasure is, that is where your heart is." At a very young age she learned that sharing with others can bring the greatest joy. This is a young woman who will be very happy in life.

Too often we get caught up in the consumer mentality that has taken hold of our country. We want this or that and we keep buying new toys. Unfortunately, we soon find we are never satisfied. The more we have, the more we want. I think this is what Jesus was talking about when he mentioned moths and rust. We stockpile our toys but never find total satisfaction.

Yet, when I look at the happiest people I know, they are the ones who live the simplest lives. They give away more than they keep. They invest themselves in the people that they love. They find their joy in serving others. Maybe Jesus was right. Maybe we should look to the children, especially this young lady, to find our way.

God bless her. May we all be as happy as her.

Cal