Got A Quarter?

Give a little bit

Over the past three years, we've fallen into the Sunday habit of going straight from church to Sister's Family Restaurant, at the corner of Miller Bottom Road and Georgia Highway 20. I love the place! There is something about it that is so down home. The restaurant is owned by Connie King and run by her seven daughters and their children, her grandchildren.

On one of our first visits to the restaurant, I noticed an older gentleman, Smitty, who was helping clear and clean tables when the "sisters" were harried and couldn't keep up with a line waiting to be seated. He was filling drinks, greeting, and even helping seat new folks coming in the door. Smitty gives a quarter to every child old enough to understand with the same message, "This quarter is for the gumball machine, with one condition, you must clean your plate before you put the quarter in the gumball machine."

I've watched his face light up each time he hands out a quarter. Of course, the kids are happily surprised to receive a quarter for a gumball. I wonder who gets the most joy out of the gift of a quarter? You know the answer.

The old message, "It's more blessed to give than to receive" is true. Sometimes we fail to recognize this aphorism isn't referring to somewhere off in the blue getting the blessing, someday "in the sweet by and by." When we give, we receive a blessing not sometime in the future, we receive the blessing right now, the instant the exchange takes place.

There are conditions connected for getting the big blessing. One condition is that we give willingly, freely, without any strings attached. I've been watching Smitty. He doesn't expect, and sure doesn't get a lot of big "thank you's" without their parents' coaching from the kids when they get their gumball quarter. He doesn't expect them to write him a thank you note or repay him a quarter someday. He does it because of the pure joy he gets from the experience of giving freely. He's reminding me of how important it is for us to be a gracious giver.

I'm challenging you to look for one opportunity today to just give a little bit. Like the song says,

"Give a little bit, give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Give a little bit
I'll give a little bit of my love to you
There's so much that we need to share
So send a smile and show you care"

I guarantee you'll be the richer for it.