Just before Christmas, my kids piled up some old toys they no longer played with in order to make room for new toys. We did the same with their outgrown clothes.  I placed all their used items in a donation bin hoping that somewhere someone might be blessed by them.

A few days ago we acquired a small home-made chicken coop with 4 laying hens from a very generous family. They were giving up their urban homestead to focus on their children’s extra-curricular activities. One of our kid’s extra-curricular activities is raising chickens so both parties benefited from this exchange to advance the same goal. Yesterday Kyle posted an add on Craig’s list looking for any more chickens people might be giving away. (Someone commented back calling him a “Loser!” We weren’t sure if he was calling Kyle a loser for desiring chickens or because he was asking to have them for free.) About an hour later a kind person responded to his post saying they too were wanting to get rid of 8 laying hens. So within two days, we went from 1 chicken coop and 22 chickens to 2 coops and 34 chickens – 12 of which are already laying eggs. We feel so blessed!

This is kinda how I picture heaven being.  No one will have any need for money because everyone will be freely giving and receiving – blessing others and being blessed. This is how the early Christians looked in the book of Acts. “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had.” -Act 4:32

I’m not sure we’ll ever fully experience on this earth what the early church experienced, but every now and then it’s nice to taste the sweet blessing of freely giving and receiving.