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"Give"! It Will Return!

There are five of us children, whom were all born in late 1950's and early 1960's! During that time, things were not that expensive. A four bedroom, two bath home sold for approx. $28K, candy was sold for a penny a piece, glass bottled pop was .05 cents and if you returned your bottle you received a .05 cent deposit - so it was free! I'll stop there because I can go on and on of how reasonable supplies and products were back then - even with five children. 

All five of us during 4th of July about 8 years ago!



A brief history about our Mother: She was born in 1937 during the depression and although it was coming to an end when she was old enough to understand it, she experienced hunger, rejection, and lack! It did scar her, but it did not keep her heart hard, harsh or sharp! She was an only child of an African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Minister, so she was also deeply rooted and grounded in the Word! Her parents divorced when she was 14yrs old; whereas, she went to live with her maternal Grandparents in a small Indiana town named Hanover, IN. She graduated from High School there and met and married our Father. 

Our loving Mother today!




As mentioned above, they have five children who are blessed and receive God's blessings because of her. I can recall at Christmas each one of us getting everything on our wish list; unless the item was unavailable or sold out! We had nice birthdays, all of us had our own bicycles that were brand new and we always had plenty of food on the table, nice warm beds to sleep in and a nice home to relax and have friends and family over. As children we were not aware that our Mother, every Christmas understood what it is to be blessed, so she would bless another child or family without any of us knowing she was doing so. 

When Wal-Mart was established, she would take a a name or two off the tree to purchase another child's wish; and did this for years. The only way we found out she was doing this was one of her co-workers told us that she did not want to exchange gifts. She spoke up and said, "We all are so blessed! The money we were going to use on each other, put it in a box and take some names off the tree and bless other children who are not so fortunate"! They loved the idea and said they enjoyed it so much they did it every year. 

A few of us during Christmas! Not all five of us were able to get home and the grandbabies!

It should not have surprised us because even to this day, she is a giving and loving Mother, friend, and neighbor. She is always looking to help someone. She attends bingo twice a week and when she wins big, she sends money to Gleaners to help them purchase food for the needy or seeks out someone; including her own children in need to bless! The bible says: 

“Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:3-4 NIV)
We build up our rewards in Heaven as the scriptures says, which are handed down to several generations. What does those rewards look like, favor, protection, promotions, good health and wholeness, prosperity in every area of your life. Now the world views rewards as material things that soon decay and return to dust; because they have no lasting value! 
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth,where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 NIV)
Therefore your giving does not go unnoticed nor does it return to you void!  
Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure—pressed down, shaken together, and running over [with no space left for more]. For with the standard of measurement you use [when you do good to others], it will be measured to you in return.” (Luke 6:38 AMP) 

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