The Essence of A Gift – Opening Doors 

“The gift of a person will open doors for him, and before the great, it gives him access.”

Proverbs 18:16 

In our last post, we talked about giving a thoughtful gift, not just for the recipient, but also for his family members. 

In this post, we will be talking about how a gift would be one of the ways that could open doors for you. 

A friend once shared that the first time she had to meet the director of the firm she was working in, her supervisor told her to bring some sweet titbits along for the meeting, as the director had a sweet tooth. 

The director hardly looked up when they entered his office. But as soon as his eyes saw the snacks, he immediately looked up at them. A few minutes was all it took to clear the agenda of the meeting, and from then on, he always remembered my friend! 

Someone may ask, is it too scheming to bring a gift just to gain access to someone important? 

“ If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a ringing brass gong or a clashing cymbal. 2And if I have the gift of prophecy and I know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so that I can remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3And if I parcel out all my possessions, and if I hand over my body in order that I will be burned, but do not have love, it benefits me nothing.”

1 Corinthians 13:1-3

The above verses counsels us that if we want to be something and to gain benefit, we cannot do anything without having love.

But take note, the above counsel would only make sense to someone who wants to be something or wants to benefit something. Because it would be all too easy if you want to be nothing or benefit nothing – simply don’t do anything!

We all want to be something, instead of being “nothing” (1 Cor 13:2). 

We all want to benefit in some way, instead of doing something that “benefits me nothing” (1 Cor 13:3). 

The problem is that we easily neglect the love.

The essence of making a friend lies not in wanting to get something out of this person, but in your sincerity of wanting to establish a connection. 

The fact is this: if you want to gain anything for yourself, you need to start thinking for the other person.

The irony is that when you do not try to gain anything for yourself – it is then that you begin to benefit the most, and it is then that you are something. 

There is a Chinese saying, ”高处不胜寒“ – which literally means “It is cold in the high places.” It is usually used to describe leaders who feel lonely because no one desires to draw close to them because of their leadership position. 

Yet it is every man’s need to be connected to others. Such a poverty in one’s spirit can only be filled with the sincerity of a true friendship. 

The important person you are trying to establish a connection with may be a potential customer, or he may be your boss at work, but they are not simply these ‘roles’; we are all essentially human beings who need to be connected to one another. 

Outside of work, it is important for us to view another human being as a person whom you can potentially connect with, and befriend. With no strings attached, no motives involved, other than just to be a friend. 

And if you present your gift with this love and sincerity, the recipient will surely sense your sincerity. The gift would be accepted and doors may open for you. 

We have talked about this in greater detail in our weekly lessons – that God had said,

“it is not good that the man is alone.”

Genesis 2:18 

Not just in the realm of family, but in the economic and friendship realms as well. (Refer to our post entitled “It is Not Good for Man to be Alone”.) 

If you are able to help another person fulfill his spiritual need for friendship, that would be love in action for the spiritually poor person.