Which Is Better, Giving or Receiving?
Insights From Vacation Bible School
The Joy of Paying It Forward
Christmas in July
When Miss Marla announced “Christmas in July,” the room went wild.
“Wow!” Buck shouted. “Two Christmases in one year! I’m gonna get two presents!”
Eric hung his head, hands in his pockets. He hadn’t brought a gift — which meant, by playground logic, he wouldn’t get one either.
Ryan, on the other hand, brought two. “One for whoever forgets,” he said with a grin.
Miss Marla gathered us around and said something that stunned us all:
“The gifts you brought aren’t for you. We’re sending them to kids who don’t have anything.”
You could’ve heard the collective groan from Kentucky to Jerusalem.
Buck muttered, “Wait… so we’re not getting any presents?”
Ryan just smiled. He looked like he already understood something the rest of us didn’t.
The Heart of Giving
That day, I learned what generosity really means.
Giving isn’t about fairness — it’s about freedom.
It’s the moment you realize you already have enough.
For years, I thought giving and receiving were opposites.
But in the Kingdom, they’re the same motion — one hand open in both directions.
Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
Not because receiving is bad, but because giving multiplies the joy.
It turns gratitude into motion — love made visible.
The Gift That Grows
As adults, we dress generosity up in tax receipts and stewardship campaigns.
But it’s still the same lesson: what we give reveals what we love.
When we give expecting a return, it’s an exchange.
When we give without expectation, it’s worship.
And here’s the miracle — you can’t outgive God.
Every gift given in His name circles back as a blessing, often in ways we never see.
The real Christmas-in-July surprise wasn’t that the presents were going overseas.
It was that joy was already being delivered right there in that classroom — to hearts learning what heaven’s economy looks like.
Reflection
Do you give with expectation or with gratitude?
Where might God be inviting you to loosen your grip and give freely?
How can your generosity today ripple into someone else’s eternity?
Prayer