I’d like to share a very Little Message from a very Little Book.  A friend shared the book with me recently.  It’s something she read to her children often when they were young, The book is small in size, the pages are few, as are the words printed on each of them.  But there’s nothing small about the message.  It carries all the impact of the finest sermon, all the love of Jesus’ teaching.  The title: “Gifts of the Heart, a Little Treasury About the Treasures of Thoughtfulness.”*

“Giving’s receiving,
Receiving is giving!
That’s really the secret
That lies behind living.”

What is thoughtfulness?  It’s very simply giving – a gift of your heart – a smile, a greeting, laughter, your time, a compliment, a lift, praise, a thank you or a please, It’s all so very simple.  And when we remember, it brings joy to another and joy to us as well.

The Bible is a big book, yet its message is the same.  “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.”  That’s Luke 6:31. It’s the Golden Rule, given to us in the gospel.  And again, “In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets.”  Matthew 7:12

From a simply moral point of view, these verses encapsulate the essence of ethical behavior and interpersonal relationships, urging individuals to consider how their actions affect others.  From a spiritual perspective, they are the very core of Jesus’ teaching – love one another, as I have loved you.

Love one another, be thoughtful.  In so doing we can begin to share the unconditional love our Lord pours freely on us.  Oh, our efforts may be meager, our failures many, but it doesn’t cost a penny to try.

Judy

*Gifts of the Heart, A Little Treasury About the Treasures of Thoughtfulness, by Dean Walley, Illustrated by Thelma Christensen, Hallmark Edition, 1969.