April 21     

Today's quotation:

Each day offers us the gift of being a special occasion if we can simply learn that as well as giving, it is blessed to receive with grace and a grateful heart.

Sarah Ban Breathnach

Today's Meditation:

I've always had a hard time taking from others, from material goods to compliments to encouragement.  I've always had a mindset that made me believe that I wasn't really deserving of being given things, and I've always been very awkward when others have tried to give to me.

Until I started thinking about how others feel when they want to give and can't, receiving was almost impossible for me.  But I somehow realized that if I don't allow others to give to me-- and if I'm unable to receive graciously-- I'm robbing them of one of the nicest feelings in the world, that of giving to someone else and having that gift (or advice, or compliment) received by a grateful recipient.

So I've trained myself to be a grateful recipient.  It hasn't always been easy, but I know that what I receive is balanced by what I give, and I try to give a lot.  I can add a very pleasant feeling to someone else's day just by saying "thank you very much" instead of "I'm sorry, but I can't take that from you," or "No, you're wrong because I'm not deserving of that compliment."  I've trained myself to say simply "Thank you" without any other words attached, and I've noticed that I feel much better about myself when I do so.

"It is blessed to receive with grace."  I love the feeling that I get when I give to someone else, but if I cannot receive graciously, I'm robbing others of the chance to feel that same great feeling that I so love.

Questions to consider:

How do we get stuck with the idea that it's better to give than to receive?  Is it accurate?

How does it become difficult for us to receive from others?

What are some of the benefits of learning to receive with grace?

For further thought:

We must realize that we cannot give love unless we can receive love. . . . In order to give of ourselves, we must nurture ourselves.

John Gray

   

  

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