Spiritual Solutions

We often talk a lot about giving, because one of the great Truths, one of the great laws given to us through Jesus, tells us “give, and it shall be given unto you.” Certainly, giving is one of the great expressions of life to prepare the way for the greater good that we all need and desire.

But a subject that is seldom considered is the other side of the coin, and that is receiving. This could well be one of the most difficult things for many of us, the ability to receive graciously.

When we refuse a gift that someone graciously offers us, in a way we cut off our good and deny the other person the opportunity of demonstrating his or her good through giving.

There is a spiritual law involved here. Things come to us as a result of the law of attraction, and when we refuse to receive we are cutting off that law of attraction. When another person wants to give, it is his or her desire to demonstrate through the law of giving and receiving. How many times we pray for help in some way, but when we get offers of help, so often we say, “Oh, I couldn’t let you do that!”

One of the great difficulties of being what I call the “chief cook and bottle-washer” and caregiver for my wife, Kathryn, is in accepting offers of help. It’s not that I don’t want the help, but I most often don’t know how a person could best help. I seek to graciously accept their offer of help, but I find that don’t necessarily follow up in calling the person so that they can give in the way they want to. So I may unwittingly be denying the person the pleasure of giving and perhaps also of receiving their own good.

On the other hand we have a very dear friend who, until recently, would insist on picking up the tab whenever we went out for a meal together. We felt greatly blessed by the generosity of the person, but also felt denied the opportunity of being the giver from time to time.

When we did have the opportunity to pick up the tab, our friend would resist us doing so until we said “Please, just say thank you!” So now, since our dear friend has learned to accept and graciously receive as well as to give, we all feel more comfortable in going out together.

All gifts come out of the divine flow. We are told, “Every good gift and every perfect gift comes down from the Father on high.” God is the great giver of the gift itself, so when the gift comes, no matter whose hands it may come through, we must learn to give thanks to God as the source and bless the channel through which it comes.

In the law of “give and you shall receive,” of course, there is a very subtle point. If we find that we are giving because of the joy that we get through giving, then it may be that we are not really fulfilling the law but just trading one thing for another.

One of the best kinds of giving is to occasionally let the other person do the giving because then we give way, then we give lovingly and allow him or her the opportunity of sharing in the giving. We may say of another person, “But he doesn’t have enough, and I have plenty,” so we refuse his giving, but then we cut off his good and hold him in bondage to a negative thought.

I like to think that if Jesus was walking on this earth today, he would add to the beatitudes that he has already given us to love and live by another one such as this: “Blessed are they who receive with a gracious heart, for their gift is the kingdom of heaven.”

God is Blessing You Right now!

Rev. Alan A. Rowbotham, a Unity minister for over thirty-seven years, invites you to subscribe to his free inspirational newsletter, Spiritual Solutions.

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