Giving with an Open Hand

When you give to another without expectation of return, then and only then, do you really know what it means to give. ~ ACN

To give without expectation of a return is the greatest gift of all. What a wonderful experience to give to another without placing any conditions on the act of giving. Wow!

So often we give with a closed hand. To do this means that the act of giving does not come from the heart. We give, expecting something back. We give, placing conditions on what we are giving. We say things like, “if I do this for you, then you had better..... appreciate, value, give me something back” and so on. How dreadful to think that we do this. It is better not to give than to give in this manner.

We have over the last years learned from books such as “The Secret” that what you put out into the world is what you will get back. And it is true. This being, if we give unconditionally then we will receive unconditionally. So why then, do we continue to give with a closed hand? Are we afraid of what we may receive in return? Do we fear the love of another so much that we continue to behave in this bizarre fashion?

Try this. Find someone who really needs your support. Then without a big hoo haa or fan fair, give them something they really need, be it a cup of soup on a cold winters day, a loaf of bread to fill their tummy or a jacket from your cupboard to keep them warm. Do this without even expecting a thank you in return. Give it to them because you are connected to them through the Universal law of Divine Love. Give because you care. Give because you can. Now, stop for a moment and feel that lovely warm fuzzy feeling creeping over you, filling every fibre of your being. This is Love. You have just discovered what it feels like to really know what it means to give. You have experienced what it is to give with an open hand.

Allow your ego to take a step back. In fact banish it when you are in the act of giving. Our ego makes us want to give because it makes us feel good when we give. Giving is not about feeling good when you give. It is about the love with which you give to another. You see when you give with the expectation of feeling good about giving, well then you are merely doing the closed hand thing again. Remember, no expectations of a return.

Give something tangible to another today, give them an emotion today, and give them love today. Give with an open hand.

In love and light,

Amanda

Photo courtesy of: http://taxdollars.ocregister.com/files/2010/11/giving-thanks.jpg