Grateful Receiving

Many people I speak with are better givers than receivers.  What they don’t realize, though, is that the two go together; that you can’t have one without the other.  There are many reasons that you should allow yourself to receive.  Among them, is the fact that “God has given us two hands; one to receive with and the other to give with.  We are not cisterns made for hoarding; we are channels made for giving.”cxxviii  

The first thing to realize is that if you have abundance in your life, you deserve it.  Don’t ignore this fact, it is important.  It means that you have sown good things into other people’s lives and that you are allowing that good to come back to you.  In a way, you are being rewarded for the wise choices you have made along the way. 

Receiving is evidence that you are giving.  You have planted the seeds and are now reaping the harvest.  “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”cxxix  Remember, though, when you receive, there is a very good chance that it probably will not come back from the same person you give to or in your time frame.  If you learn to recognize when it does come back, you will see that this law works every time. 

Receiving is evidence that you have been a good steward with the resources you have been trusted with.  Stewardship is the responsible management, distribution and use of the resources that have been placed in your care.  When you make good decisions with the resources you currently have, you will be given more.  Good decisions generally come once you put money in the proper perspective, so that your mind is not clouded by money.  Happiness is not in the mere possession of money; it lies in the joy of achievement, in the thrill of creative effort and the blessing of other people. 

Receiving allows you to pass along the gift of giving to someone else.  We all know someone who, when asked what they want for Christmas, will respond by saying, something like, “Nothing, keep the money for yourself.”  When that happens, the one rejecting the gift is not allowing other people to experience the joy and benefits of giving.  In a way, the one who will not gratefully receive is being selfish by not allowing others to give.  We have all heard that, “…it is more blessed to give than to receive.”cxxx  Think about that for a minute.  Don’t you want others to be “more blessed?”  This happens when you allow them to give and you to receive. 

In order for someone to give, someone else must receive; they work together.  One does not exist without the other.  Allow others to give by allowing yourself to receive.  You will be helping yourself and other people more than you can imagine.  You will also have much more than you can ever imagine.  You will be creating value for others and doing good in the world.  “Goodness is the only investment that never fails.”cxxxi

Michael at R2W