He was kind of a lonely person, and had suffered economically and spiritually for a long, long time. It s difficult to give to someone when you suspect that they won t appreciate it or even recognize that you gave. Sometimes, people have been suffering for so long that their ability to give love is hiding, way down at the bottom of a very deep hole. At times like that, the economy of heart seems far, far away. The good news is that every hole can eventually be filled.
Sacrificial love is the most powerful spiritual force in the world.
My wife and I thought about the hardworking, but unhappy man who desperately wanted more money and had a choice. If we only gave him what he demanded, we were sure that we would feel bad later. There would be a residue of ill-feeling. Instead, we gave him what he asked for, and then we gave him extra money, telling him that it was an expression of our appreciation of his hard work. He was surprised and seemed to feel grateful.