“In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”
Acts 20:35 NIV
Happiness is one of those things which we are more likely to have if we focus on helping others find theirs. Consider this story which was recently sent to me by a family member:
A professor gave a balloon to every student, who had to inflate it, write their name on it, and throw it in the hallway. The professor then mixed all the balloons. The students were given 5 minutes to find their own balloon. Despite a hectic search, no one found their balloon. At that point, the professor told the students to take the first balloon that they found and hand it to the person whose name was written on it. Within 5 minutes everyone had their own balloon. The professor then said to the students: “These balloons are like happiness. We will never find it if everyone is looking for their own. But if we care about other people’s we’ll find ours too.” This inspiring story, whether it happened or not, contains a profound truth and is supported by research which shows that people increase their happiness more when they are given money and told to give it away or otherwise do something with the money which will help others than if they spend it on themselves. We are social creatures, built for sharing our lives and our possessions with others.
–Christopher Simon
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