They say it is better to give than to receive. And isn’t it true? Giving someone that perfect gift can fill us with much more excitement than opening a gift ourselves.

On Tuesday I was at the mini mart and the cashier oohed and aahed over my Christmas purse – red with a green, plaid bow. She mentioned that her daughter would love it, since she recently acquired an interest in purses. I asked how old her daughter was and she said ten. We chatted for a few more minutes about it before I headed home.

What that lady didn’t know was that I just so happened to have a second purse like this at home, which I had never used. (That is another story!) I had thought about giving this purse away before. But because I loved it so much, I wanted it to go to the perfect home. Now I had an idea. I am sure you know where this is going. I wanted to give the second purse to the cashier for her daughter.

I don’t live too far from this store, and I mulled over the idea on the drive. My initial thought was to come back another day. But how was I to know what days and times this lady would work? Perhaps we wouldn’t cross paths again over the next few weeks.

And due to my introvert nature, I shy away from this sort of stuff. I am not one to put myself “out there.” Therefore, I decided it was best to just do it that day, if I was going to do it at all. Otherwise I would have time to talk myself out of it. I went home, retrieved the twin purse, and went straight back to the store. The lady was so delighted and said that her daughter would love it.

But what was even more astonishing was how ecstatic it made me as I headed home for a second time that day. And this prompted a decision. I decided to keep giving. From now on I will look for opportunities to bless others. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a gift, per se. It could be anything thoughtful, such as helping someone with a dreaded chore. The ideas are endless. But I think the key for me might be that it will have to be outside of my comfort zone. Sure I might help my husband clean up the garage, but I would do that anyway. So I will try I find things that are out of the ordinary for me. And I can’t wait to see what lies ahead!