Give and Take and Give

We can be pretty clumsy expressing our thanks with canned phrases to cover our uneasiness, anxiety, or a feeling of obligation to receive a gift. We embellish our thanks with a few “You shouldn’t have’s’ or some other hollow platitude.

When on the receiving end of a gift, or an invitation for lunch or a cup of coffee, look at these gifts from the point of view of the giver, who is being quite sincere. And it is imperative that we accept kindly to validate the giver.

Ten lepers were cured, and only one returned to give thanks. Here is a behavior unacceptable in the giver/receiver relationship. Nine of them surely were overcome with joy and relieved that they could re-enter society. Perhaps they did return later, but Jesus had moved on and wasn’t there. The one who did return was grateful for the miracle and went down on his knees to give thanks. We could be one of the nine or with the one who returned.

After all, we are all afflicted in some way.

The lesson: We have been gifted by God and through God by others. Dare we ignore the giver and just nod and walk away?

Hence, it is better to give than to receive. To be a good giver, we learn to be a humble receiver, on our knees, so to speak, in front of Jesus and know all good things come from God, who lovingly has gifted us through the Holy Spirit. Here is a lifelong unwrapping of these gifts. May we find ourselves glorifying God in a loud voice, being good receivers of gifts, and in turn giving our gifts to others. Be sure of this: These gifts will not be returned. They are keepers.

Prayer:

I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall be always in my mouth. My soul will glory in the Lord; let the poor hear and be glad. Magnify the LORD with me; and let us exalt his name together. (Psalm 34:1-4)