I was once very naive, thinking everything came for granted in this life, maybe that's why I had so little. Never did I cherish what little I had, always striving to get more or better.
Life always gives to us that which we need, it offers to us everything if we are willing to take it. The only person that can deny something to you is yourself, if there is a need, there is a way.
To give is to get
Not long ago I started to see how the universe gives back when you sacrifice something on your behalf.
Giving to people is the greatest thing that one can do at times, it has always sparked pleasure in me if I unconditionally give something of value or not to someone of need.
Now I'm not saying I go out giving everything to everyone, but when I see a worthy cause I'll do it.
There is something more to giving unconditionally, when you do it you not only give the person something, but you give him a seed of love, which he will nourish and care fore, and one day that seed turns into a flower, which he will give back to you, one way or another.
If that doesn't happen, fear not for you have already gained something immediately after giving, you've gained the feeling of doing good and you can always go back to it when your self worth is lowered.
Two kinds of giving
One kind of giving is unconditional and the other is conditioned. When one gives unconditionally he lets the unknown manifest something back to him, it will always give back when there is a need, as long as you've done good. Sometimes we don't receive physical stuff, but there are far more worthy things than items.
Personally I think that if one is detached from his belongings he can't be disappointed if something happened to them.
By giving something of value we also learn the discipline of detachment, which is one of the practices one must master to find freedom in his life.
The other kind of giving is conditioned, I've personally always tried to dodge this kind of giving, it always strikes despair in my heart and that lowers the self worth of one given individual. Expecting something from someone places us in a position where we are oppressing, therefore the feeling we get back will be similar, if not it will be manifested as something that feels misunderstood. At the end the person we give to will have a seed of oppression and will try to dodge us in the future.
If your hearth is pure and you do good the universe will always find ways to give back. The harder the deed the better the reward.