It only took a short time in my Animal Crossing game for me to find that many of my neighbors are of the “giving” sort… they would just walk up to me and give me a random item because they were thinking of me. I tried this same idea and gave a fellow villager something extra that I was carrying, and they reciprocated with a gift that was far better than the little seashell I handed them. The “gamer” in me clicked as I wondered if there was a connection to what I gave and what I received, so I tried it again with a more valuable item and a different villager… this time they politely thanked me, took it, and walked away without giving me anything in return. “Giving” is not an “item duplication glitch” to exploit… it is simply being a good neighbor.

Too many times in the body of Christ we see the act of giving is treated like a “cheat code” to increase our own material treasures, but we are truly closest to the heart of Christ when we give to others and serve His kingdom without hoping for something in return. When my nose itches, my hand reaches out to scratch it… not because it gains anything from this action, but because it is part of the same body. In a similar manner, let’s show the love of Christ by serving someone else today without expecting a reciprocating action in return… it’s what good neighbors do.

I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, It is more blessed to give than to receive. Acts 20:35

That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. 1 Corinthians 12:25-26

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