i swung by my friend Kyle's place on friday before he headed to the airport for the Denver Beer Festival (Tyler... how was this not a part of your trip?). on my way out, he showed me part of his garden and asked if i wanted fresh cut flowers. of course i said yes. as i was thanking him for the beautiful gift, he kinda shrugged and said: "sure, you're welcome. but that's the cool thing about flowers: the more you cut them, the more they bloom."

i love it.

his words ran through my mind most of the day reminding me of Jesus' simple words: "it is more blessed to give than to receive."

i used to interact with those words in a sort of scoffing way: uh huh, sure Jesus, it's more blessed to give away gifts than to get them? ummm, disagree.

the funny thing is that the more i began to give to others, the more i realized the beauty and genius of Jesus' words. there is something about giving that is somehow better than receiving, which isn't to say that receiving isn't a wonderful thing. it is almost that in giving away our lives, our talents, our gifts, our abundance that our lives become more full. in giving, we ourselves actually receive.

sometimes that means we receive more stuff... cash or goods or time or whatever.
sometimes that means we receive more love & relational gifts... friends & opportunities & the like.
but honestly, more times than not, when i give myself or gifts away, what i receive is the simple recognition that my life is full. full of friends who i love & who love me. friends who make me laugh and laugh with/at me. friends that i am able to see most everyday. my life is full of opportunities and possibilities. full of dreams and hopes. full of possessions and a providing job. my life is full of a family who is present to me, who believes in me, and, even in my eccentricity & crazy path, thinks that what i am doing is important and good.

what i receive is the gift of realizing that i still have a lot to give. somehow in that moment of giving, portions of my life bloom. in their blooming, i again have the opportunity to cut some of the flowers and let them sit on the living room coffeetable of other people's lives, just like Kyle's are sitting on mine...