Today we continue our exploration of John Templeton’s twenty-one steps detailed in The Templeton Plan with more on Step 18: Giving as a Way of Life. Since we are now in November and counting down to Thanksgiving, we examine John Templeton’s emphasis on the concepts of gratitude and giving.
“We have everything to be grateful for, and when we’re grateful, we give.”
Giving, Templeton is convinced, is a method where a person can grow and become truly a success.
Feeling as he does about Thanksgiving, John Templeton praises his friend Peter Stewart, who organized Thanksgiving Square, a beautiful triangle of land in the heart of downtown Dallas. A tower has been erected on this land in the form of an upward spiral, and inside this spiral are illustrations and quotations from Thanksgivings since America’s first celebration of the holiday. People from the offices around Thanksgiving Square go there and pray during the business day.
In a sense, John Templeton sees giving as a test of maturity. Those who are truly grown up give. The immature do not. It is wise, he feels, to practice giving in every area of life. Give thoughtful, well-reasoned advice. Give thanks. Give attention. Give prizes and honors. If you are lonely, give. If you are bored, give. Take on charity jobs. Help with fund raising.
There is no greater gift you can give than to help another person become a giver. As a child, Templeton was taught always to give the larger piece of cake to the other person. At meetings, he believes in taking a backseat unless asked to come forward. The Bible teaches us that if anyone would be first among us, let him first become the servant of all.
