It's Better to Give AND Receive
/Did you grow up being indoctrinated with the belief that "It is more blessed to give than receive?"
I'm looking deeper at this, especially as Valentine's Day approaches, the traditional day when everyone longs to feel loved. Most of the people reading my blogs and newsletter are spiritual people, and by nature, "givers." And of course, none of us would have to think too hard to identify the "takers" in our lives; people who drain us energetically, financially and emotionally. Those who are self-serving, who give no thought to the cost inflicted upon others. But I'm not musing about the takers today.
There's a vast difference between receiving and taking. Let's start with the definition:
Receive: to be given, presented with, or paid.
Take: to lay hold of, to consume, to capture or gain possession of by force.
Without receivers, the givers of the world are jobless. Life is abundant, and we are surrounded by helpful, loving, caring friends and family members who truly wish to give. How are your receiving skills? How is your ability to receive divine blessings and love? Are you accepting your gifts or rejecting them? When you become as good at receiving as you are at giving, the world becomes a more balanced and blessed place. Especially YOUR world!
I learned many years ago that when someone is genuinely trying to give to me, the best response is, "Thank you." I had to go through some incredibly humbling situations to get to that point! When we are out of balance with our energy flow, we often respond to offerings by others with negative statements like:
"You shouldn't have."
"Oh, I can't accept that!"
"That's nice but I feel so bad accepting this."
When you get to the heart of the matter, all of those statements affirm issues of self-worth, control and humility, and have nothing to do with politeness in the least. Many of us prefer to be the "giver" because it makes us feel more confident in our ability to be self-sustaining. Basically to "give" is an empowered sense of control. Who doesn't like that feeling? We are humans with egos, after all. But it sucks to be on the receiving end of, for example, food stamps; to have "failed" so badly that you can't even provide the basics for you family. Terrible feeling, no? This is called called humility. To be in a position of humility is a beautiful, divine gift of love. It is an opportunity for you to renew your hope in the goodness of humanity and firm your resolve to give of your blessings to help others.
I see Spirit working every single day to bring new lessons to us about how to balance our energy by learning to receive. I'll share two examples, but believe me, I have enough fodder for an entire book on this topic!
I have had several sessions during which a husband/father came through who had passed away after an extended and incapacitating illness. All of these men were the traditional providers for their family, and they did it very well! They led their families with strong values, provided for their physical needs of housing and did a million other "manly" things that showed their dedication to loving their family through their strength. Until the day they were given a terminal diagnosis; then came the incapacitation. In what seems like a horrid twist of fate, our beloved strong fathers and husbands found themselves in a complete role reversal of neediness.
Here comes the hidden gift: the Soul has an opportunity to balance itself before leaving this earth by learning to receive. This time that seems tragic holds deep and profound blessings for the person receiving the love, the care, the affection and attention. We don't consider illness a gift very often, but this is what the dead report to me! The gift of receiving. Wow, it is humbling! It connects us on the deepest levels and it has the capacity to increase our love for each other a millionfold.
The second way I see Spirit offering us lessons in receiving is through what we call synchronicity and coincidence. It's really about going with the flow to receive the love we need. Very recently, I did a private session with a widow, Anne, who explained to me that a string of randomly-connected events guided her to me. The appointment I was able to offer her just happened to be on the anniversary of her husband's burial. Synchronicity was happening on my end, too. Early in the day of Anne's session, a small gift was given to me, and as it was placed into my hands, I heard that little voice in my head tell me is was meant for my last client of the day. When I returned to my hotel room after Anne's session, I saw the forgotten gift on my desk, and hurried downstairs to find her before she left. I spotted Anne in the lobby with her sister, excitedly sharing details of her connection with her husband.
Grief is grief, and while I don't rate anyone's pain as worse than anyone else's, I often connect with people who have catastrophic, traumatizing horror stories associated with their loved one's passing. Sadly, Anne's story was one of these. After the session, there was no doubt in my mind she needed this little gift as a reminder that she is loved, always. After I gave her the gift, the three of us started chatting and we decided we would eat dinner together. Throughout the course of the meal, as we became fast friends, I realized that they were people I'd be friends with in normal circumstances. Thank my lucky stars I met them through Spirit! We raised a toast to Anne's husband, and thanked him for the many gifts he brought to all of us that day.
I told Anne after dinner, "If there is anything your husband wants you to know after this day, it is that he will never stop caring for you and providing you with love, just like he has always has. Go with the flow of what shows up in your life, receive it. They aren't coincidences, they are divinely-planned meetings meant to fill you with love and hope."
So, in light of Valentine's Day later this week, as you begin to think about ways you can show your love, turn your thoughts to how good you are at receiving it. Whether it arrives as a bouquet of flowers or a found penny, perhaps the very best response is a heartfelt, "Thank you."
The Universe is abundant, and love is available in unlimited supply to all who are open to receive.
©Mollie Morning Star 2014 Short excerpts of this article may be shared on the internet provided a live link back to this original source is used. Reproduction in print is prohibited.
