Refuse no one the good in which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, ‘Go and come again, tomorrow I will give,’ when you can give at once. // Proverbs 3:27-28
“Wow, that’s a neat gadget!” I exclaimed to my bonus father-in-law as I watched him grind the pecans. “Whaaat?” he said in his Texas drawl. I raised my voice and repeated myself. He nodded and replied, “Yeah, it does a really good job, and you can use it with other kinds of nuts too. You know I’m deaf in both ears and can’t understand what you’re saying. Do you want one?''
After almost fifteen years of knowing my father-in-law, I know now that if I compliment one of his QVC purchases, I will end up with one. Somehow it ends up in my purse or it is left on the countertop of our kitchen via my mother-in-law per my father-in-law’s request.
“Refuse no one the good in which he has a claim when it is in your power to do it for him. Say not to your neighbor, ‘Go and come again, tomorrow I will give,’ when you can give at once” (Proverbs 3:27-28). I know my father-in-law is masterful at this as I think about the eleven-foot light bulb changer we asked to borrow once and now own.
My father-in-law delights in others enjoying what he has, be it Slap Chop, wine opener, a cooler that also warms food, or a tortilla press. At the heart of his readiness to give is a love that runs deeper than the object itself.
Today’s proverb can be understood in so many ways, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Matthew 7:12), “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31), or my personal favorite quote attributed to Saint Teresa of Calcutta, “Spread love wherever you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier.”
My father-in-law encourages me to be joyful in giving to my neighbor (not just gadgets either). His kindness radiates the love of Christ.
Sister, are you stingy with what you have to offer your neighbor? Let us pray for a heart that is always ready to give and that others may leave happier when they interact with us.
Mytae Carrasco Wallace is Las Vegas born and raised and holds a Masters in Public Administration. She and her husband have the privilege of leading Pre-Cana retreats for their home parish. On the daily you can find her raising her three kiddos, choreographing dance moves to entertain her children, and doing her own version of carpool karaoke. She was a contributing author to All She Had. Find out more about her here. Mytae es creada y nacida en Las Vegas, NV. Tiene su Maestría en Administración Pública. Ella y su esposo tienen el privilegio de dirigir los retiros de Pre-Cana para su parroquia. Diariamente puedes encontrarla criando a sus tres hijos, coreografiando movimientos de baile para entretener a sus hijos y cantando su propia versión de karaoke en el carro. Fue autora contribuyente de All She Had. Conozca la mejor aquí..
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