The most common mistake is choosing a taker instead of a giver.
A taker is someone who absorbs energy, favors, love, compliments, and attention from other people, but doesn’t return these gifts.
Givers take pleasure in giving of themselves to make others happy.
In high school, he dated a girl who was a taker. She was hilarious and fun a lot of the time, but she constantly wanted things and was always asking me to drive her here and there, or help her fix her car, or burn her a CD, help her move, help her study, and so on.
As a giver, he was happy to give and give and give. But eventually he noticed that, despite giving constantly to try to make her happy, she rarely returned such gestures. Eventually they broke up.
Shortly thereafter, he started dating another girl. Immediately he noticed that she was so much easier to be around. She also gave him the love, affection, words of affirmation, and quality time that he so desired.
But it wasn’t until a year and a half into their relationship that he realized exactly why the new girlfriend was so incredible.
She called him one day to ask for a pick up from the mechanic’s. Her car had broken down and she wasn’t able to fix it on her own, so she’d hobbled it into the auto shop and, after being told there would be a four hour wait, decided to call him and ask for a ride.
What he realized was that, after a year and a half of dating, this was the FIRST TIME she’d asked him to do ANYTHING for her (she might be a little extreme in her independence.
Don’t hold everyone to this standard).
They’ve now been together for eight years and married for five. Every day they have a great time because they spend their time giving to each other, working to solve each others’ needs.
So determine to be a giver and find a giver. By giving to each other, you’ll both be fulfilled through christ Jesus.
