Take your brother also, and arise, return to the man; and may God Almighty grant you compassion in the sight of the man, so that he will release to you your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.” So the men took this present, and they took double the money in their hand, and Benjamin; then they arose and went down to Egypt and stood before Joseph. Genesis 43:13-15
Omiyage is a Japanese tradition of giving gift to someone when you have been away. At Jacob’s instruction, his sons were told to bring a present to find favor with the ruler in Egypt (Joseph). Jacob did this also when hoping to find favor with his brother Esau. There is a principle at work here found in Proverbs 18:16 which says, ‘A man's gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.’ A gift when given and given with ‘meaning’ can act as a door opener, a thank you, a sign of appreciation, and more. Gifts can be used to create honor, favor, and to make deposits into the relationship bank account. There are times a gift can stand out by itself yet when combined with a well thought out note or greeting card, it can have double the impact.
Boss’s day is on my birthday so it’s easy to remember, October 16th. Most people I know do not celebrate Boss’s Day, but supervisors like to be appreciated too. In fact, most employees think of themselves and their coworkers but forget that a boss also needs affirmation, encouragement, and to be shown appreciation for their work from time to time. For many years now I have made it a point to give a gift card with a nice note to my supervisor on Boss’s Day. A gift combined with a meaningful note will always be remembered. Giving a gift will not only show appreciation, but you will stand out as one of the few who went out of their way to say thank you. You don’t have to wait for a holiday to give a gift or write a nice note. Catching people doing something right, remembering something someone once did for you, and many other reasons give you an excuse to speak up and say thank you with a gift.
REFLECT TO CONNECT
- Is there someone coming to mind God wants you to express appreciation to?
- What have been the memorable moments when people have given gifts to you?
- Are there times where gift giving can be inappropriate?
Principle: When gift giving, your gift goes ahead of you to prepare your way with favor.
