Of Tennis Racquets and Barbecue Sauce

I recently heard a man who once ran for President say that many people think the way to achieve wealth is through borrowing money, whereas he believes the way to achieve wealth is through giving away money. Obviously, many would consider his point of view to be a high level of foolishness. Others would consider it profound wisdom.

There are many things in life that are the opposite of what we suppose. For example, I played tennis for many years and could never hit a backhand properly. I would marvel at the ability of my opponents to hit backhands. Then, one day, I decided to take tennis lessons. The instructor informed me to turn the racquet in my hand at an angle that felt extraordinarily uncomfortable. It felt as though I would hit the ball with the edge of my racquet. However, when I followed her instruction, I was pleased to discover that I was able to hit the ball solidly and with topspin. What at first clearly felt like the wrong way to do something, was actually the right way.

This is true in much of sports. Consider the golf stroke, swimming, and the jump shot in basketball, or throwing a football or a baseball or kicking a soccer ball. To do these activities the right way means doing them in a way that feels like the wrong way at first. Actually, this is true of life in general. There are ways that may seem right to a person, but that way will take you to a place you don't want to be.

It has always seemed right to me that if I wanted to get barbecue sauce to come out of the bottle, I should strike the bottom of the bottle. I have learned that this procedure takes me to a place I don't want to be . . . a place of sore palms and no barbecue sauce. After I stop for a second and think, I begin to hit the bottle on the side and in the opposite direction from which I want the barbecue sauce to flow. This effort produces barbecue sauce in abundance because it is consistent with a basic law of physics that says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Again, many things in life are the opposite of what we suppose; backhands in tennis and flowing barbecue sauce are only two examples.

Just as laws of physics govern the physical world, certain laws govern the unseen world. Most of us are confident with the truth of certain laws of physics, which we associate with scientists such as Newton. But before the turn of the 20th century, certain deviations were found in Newtonian physics, which, although slight, were of such a fundamental nature that the whole of his thought began to topple. Then in the early part of the 20th century when physicists had come to distrust their faith in a smoothly functioning Newtonian mechanical universe, Einstein articulated his theory of relativity, dealing with space, time, and the structure of the universe as a whole. Although most of us have childlike faith in science, even a hard science such as physics is comprised of theories that are shown to be deficient with the passing of time.

One far wiser than Newton or Einstein, in speaking not of the physical universe but of the spiritual universe, once articulated a great truth that has never been proven wrong. He said, "Give, and it will be given to you." To amplify further the power of that simple statement, He went on to say that what a person gives would be given back, "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over."

Just the other day, the stock market responded to new figures relevant to the rising level of unemployment. A couple of weeks ago, I read in Investors Business Daily of three quarters of profound percentage increases in residential foreclosures. What would happen if those suffering the loss of a job or the loss of their home were to increase their giving and give even more of their time, resources, work, love, and money to those in greater need? What would happen if those who are suffering financial loss and those who are prospering would give to those who could never pay them back, and would give for the right reason and with a humble heart and without seeking any acknowledgment of their giving?

My understanding is that kind of giving is in a certain sense the greatest of all investments, for not only will your return be great, but it will be pressed down and running over and it will have eternal significance.

Is the road to prosperity in giving (with the right heart motivation) and not in borrowing? You decide. I can assure you of one thing: many people who seek financing of one form or another simply do not qualify for the financing they seek, whereas we all qualify to give to those in greater need than ourselves.