I’m a member of a business networking group. I am completely fascinated by the process.

The group gets together once a week to talk about each other’s business and provide business referrals to each other. In between meetings the members get together for coffee or lunch. What happens over time is that strangers become friends.

The group is really like a church. They look out for each other. Enjoy each other’s company. And become friends. Before and after the meeting the room is a filled with the noisy din of conversation. “How are you?” “I met someone who needs your services.” Or “How was your trip?”

Really being a part of the group requires making a contribution to the group. People who join just to GET the benefits of membership rather than GIVE to the welfare of others soon lose interest in it. Like the paradox of “Be generous: Invest in acts of charity. Charity yields high returns,” Ecclesiastes 11:1, receiving the grand benefits of relationships requires personal generosity.