The secret to living is giving

I was 16 years old and I remember getting a call from a good friend as I was leaving work at God’s restaurant, Chickfila.

My friend said, “Hey man, you can definitely say no to this, but I just got pulled over. This is my second ticket, and I’m probably not going to tell my parents.” I wouldn’t advise that part, but we were 16, you don’t think straight at that age lol.

He went on by saying, “The issue is, I don’t have the money to pay for it right now, and if I don’t tell them I’m not really sure what I am going to do. So my question is would you be willing to help me pay for my ticket, I’ll totally pay you back if you do.”

What a tough decision. He was a great guy, who had a lead foot. The ticket was a couple hundred dollars, but to a 16 year old, it might as well been $1,000 bucks.

I thought about it for a couple hours and then I made the decision. I decided to help. I handed him the money, and he emphatically told me how he was going to make sure he made it right.

I believed him. But I also made a much more important decision before I told him I would help. I had decided that once that money left my hand, I just figured I would never see it again. I didn’t want to be the guy who was aiming for kneecaps if I didn’t get paid back. So in my mind it was more of a gift than it was a loan.

That moment was a major turning point for me, for our friendship, and how I would see generosity.

As the days and weeks went on, my friend stuck to his promise…and then some. He swung by and gave me $100 bucks. Then the next week he filled up my gas tank, and he said, “For the ticket.” A few weeks later a brand new video game came out, to the tune of $60 dollars, He come over with the game in hand and said with a smile, “For the ticket.” Almost every time we went to eat, he covered my tab, and with a smirk would say, “For the ticket!” To this day he’ll send random gifts in the mail, and he’s even bought a couple plane tickets for me just so we could spend some time hanging out.

There is a proverb that says this: “The world of the generous gets larger and larger; the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller. The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped.”

I can’t help but think of that verse when I think of this story, and ultimately even when I think of this friend. He is hands down one of my best friends today, and I believe it is strongly connected to the generosity that lives between us, that started at the age of 16.

I believe without a doubt that the secret to living is giving. Sometimes its a hard decision to make in the meantime, but it always seems to be the right one.