The Gift of Giving is Receiving
Why is it that we can so easily give of ourselves but when tables turn and we find it impossible to accept the gift of giving from others? Are some of us just more vulnerable when we are offered gifts of giving? Is it pride that steps up and rears it’s head at the gifts of another? Or could it be dignity? That proud reserve that comes into the light when we are offered a hand, or a gift, from another.
No matter the origins of the refusal it is almost imperative that we begin to crest over that hill of acceptance and see the world for what it is. When another person offers of themselves, just as you may have done for others in your life, they are giving of their heart. They offer of themselves so that one can benefit and be fruitful with the gift. Often we see the gift as a slap in the face, a hit on our personal affairs, but why? When we give gifts of the heart do we not feel a wonderful sensation, a genuine sensation, of love for another? Then why is it that we feel so strongly towards refusing another this special feeling for us?
The act of gracious receiving is as important as giving. This statement being true pushes us towards the realization of acceptance. By allowing another to grace your life with a gift of giving you are honoring that person just as you honor the gift given.
When I was a child I knew a family who was in peril. Their home had no electricity, their vehicles had been repossessed, and their home was going to be taken from them. I remember my Mother speaking with the Pastor of our family church and requesting that this family be given a gift of money. This was immediately accepted by the church and a check was written. But the next Sunday when the gift was presented to the Father he became enraged. He stormed from the church, accused my Mother of prying into their business, and after that day they were never seen in the church congregation again. I learned a valuable lesson that day. If those that we love know that we are hurting, struggling, and their intention of helping us is rejected then who is hurt? Noone involved is blessed.
We are independent individuals, but we all have underlying dependant qualities. The true blessing come when those qualities of life blend and we become strong, secure, interdependent individuals who gain the capacity of full love and accept the love of others. If the secret of life is giving and receiving, but we only acknowledge one, we miss out on a huge portion of the secret and the blessings that come with it.