When my wife was a kid, there was one year when the only thing she wanted for her birthday was a Polly Pocket cruise ship toy. I recently learned this was the single greatest present any 8 year old girl could get circa 2008.
Well, a few weeks later a family friend lost his job. Christmas was quickly approaching, they had two young girls, and they weren’t sure they could afford any gifts.
The thought occurred to her, would she give away her new toy or keep it for herself?
It would be nice if the story played out in the Hallmark way—an immediate determination to give with no challenge or selfishness. But she was 9, and it wasn’t Hallmark.
Instead, she was torn. This gift had brought her so much joy and now she felt like she needed to give it away. It didn’t feel fair. For an 8 year old, this seemed like a heavy weight and responsibility.
John Paul II tells us that we Christians have many gifts and a similar responsibility.
Think about all the gifts you have, both the big ones and the small ones. These are given not just for you, but to share. JPII says that the gifts we receive are meant to build up the world and the Church—they are meant to be handed on.
And that can be hard because sometimes that means being vulnerable and giving away something we love, like my wife eventually did with her favorite gift.
But there is something hidden behind this challenge. Now when my wife tells the story, what comes across isn’t so much the hardship, but the peace and joy that she experienced afterward.
When we put our gifts at the service of the Church we may face hardship, but even more we will discover the peace and joy of giving what is ours to give.