When It’s Time to Receive

Have you ever tried to pay for someone’s meal and they refused?  And then the back and forth began – “no I wanted to pay for you”, “no I can’t let you do that”, “okay I will let you this time but next time I will get yours.”  This is just one example, but the reality is, for most of us, receiving is hard. 

When Jesus came into the world, that was the greatest gift mankind would ever receive.  He gave Himself and with the gift of Himself comes the right to be a child of God.  Jesus’ gift is for all, but so many people refuse to accept the gift.  And even for those of us who believe in Jesus and are God’s children, often we refuse to fully embrace all that God offers us.

Did you ever wonder why it can be such a challenge to accept gifts or offers of help?  I think a few reasons we have a hard time receiving are:

Receiving puts someone else in control.

There is a security that comes with control.  When I am in control (or at least think that I am), I determine what happens next.  I can predict, achieve, and do what I want.  I can meet my needs.  Too many of us believe the person we can trust the most is ourselves.  When we allow another person to help us that gives them a level of ownership and direction in our lives and it forces us to let go of our hold on that area.

Receiving acknowledges we have a need.

I love the feeling of being on top of things and I really don’t like it when I fall short of what I am striving for.  Whether it is intellectually, relationally, or financially most of us prefer to be self-sufficient.  When other people have needs, we are happy to help, but we don’t like to admit that we have a deficiency. When I receive help it takes humility because I have to admit that I do in fact need someone else.

Receiving can make us feel in debt.

Not only does receiving help force us to admit we have needs, it can put us in the position of feeling we owe someone else.  When someone takes care of us, it can seem they tip the scales in their favor.  They have helped us, and until we help them, we owe them. This can be a challenge, but it can also push us to give as generously as we have received.  We can give back to those who have given, and we can also give to those who are in need.

Receiving can reveal our selfishness.

When someone else is generous, often it makes us realize how self-centered we are.  They thought to do something kind that we would never have considered. In other words, the bar is raised.  Often I don’t want to receive from others because it forces me to face myself. Instead of hiding from our lack, what if we learned from receiving and cultivated a heart of selflessness?

There are many obstacles that keep us from receiving.  So today – it is up to you to choose. Will you overcome yourself? Will you receive the gift of God?  Will you be His child?  And will fully live embrace the life God has designed for you?  The time to receive is now.

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He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
John 1:10-13 NASB

For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23 NASB

But to each one of us, grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
Ephesians 4:7 NASB