To Be Watered

"One gives freely, yet grows all the richer; another withholds what he should give, and only suffers want. Whoever brings blessing will be enriched, and one who waters will himself be watered. The people curse him who holds back grain, but a blessing is on the head of him who sells it" (Proverbs 11:24-26).


Today's passage tells us that God wants you and me to be generous. It thrills Him when we give freely because it reflects His own generosity. There is, interestingly enough, a paradox involved in the area of giving. It seems that by being generous in our giving, we end up having plenty. The opposite is true as well. If we live stingy lives in order to have plenty, we end up in need.

I know very little about successful gardening. That means it doesn't take me long to kill the flowers my wife and I plant in our flower beds. I do know that my chances of success go way up when I offer the flowers the right amount of refreshing water. To water the flowers is to give them what they need. If I withhold water, they die.

The Scriptures tell us that the "watering" and blessing we give through our generosity is not just good for others, it is good for us. It is in helping others that we are helped. That is why generosity is a good thing. Everyone's a winner!

In the farming communities in Solomon's day, grain was used in everyday commerce. If someone was hoarding their grain, thus refusing to sell it, everyone suffered. People end up cursing those who hurt them and blessing those who bless them. That's just how life works. So no matter if we are talking about giving or "watering," it is important that we be generous givers and not stingy hoarders. Holding back from God and others is never a good thing.

If you desire to bloom in the space you occupy, give generously to the needs around you. If you desire to have the blessings rather than the curses of others, water the space they occupy. For it is in blessing others we are blessed and it is in giving that we receive.

That's just the way life works.