This suggests two distinct kinds of giving; 1) Giving that is outer-centered which depletes the giver; and 2) giving that is inner-centered which endows the gift with that which transcends its intrinsic value………
When the giving is outer-centered, it is a personal thing, and the ego is very much involved. There is a need to be seen and appreciated, and if there is none, the giver is likely to feel hurt…. But when the giving is inner-centered, it is impersonal. The emphasis is not on the gift itself or to whom or what it is given, but on the inner source of love and substance from which it is given. The act of giving is a giving way to the flow that springs forth from the wellspring of all-sufficiency. There is no sense of depletion in the giving, for the giving is also a receiving.
Outer-centered giving is most often withheld because of a sense of personal inadequacy, postponed to that nebulous future when things will be different; “When I get that raise in salary, or the commissions from the deal I am going to make……”
Inner-centered giving is a spontaneous flow that uses any and all means as channels. It is giving of what is available now, but the gift is maximized by the love and praise and gratitude that flows forth from within.
Submitted by Paulette Mason, LUT, derived from Eric Butterworth’s, “Spiritual Economics”