Good Receiving
Perhaps you’ve seen this kind of thing go down, or been part of it, it happens in restaurants all over the world. Everything is fine until the bill arrives. “I’ll get this one”. “No, please let me get it!”. What follows would be really funny, if it wasn’t so awkward. A long drawn out conflict filled with negotiations and compromises eventually ends with someone having the satisfaction of winning the honour of paying. An honour that, curiously, nobody really wanted in the first place.
If you’re a student, this may seem strange to you. Why would anyone do this? If someone offers to pay for supper, it’s time to celebrate (and perhaps even regret not ordering something more expensive). But as we grow older and more established, many of us feel the need to outdo others in gestures like these. We are uncomfortable receiving generosity.
Have you been embarrassed by an expressly generous birthday gift or other token of appreciation? The first thought is often how we can reciprocate, and repay the kindness rather than just be grateful for it. There’s also the opposite extreme. That of taking gifts for granted, not appreciating the gesture and hardly giving it a thought. What’s behind this difficulty to receive graciously?
Perhaps, we’re embarrassed that someone would think we’re needy or incapable, or maybe we prefer being a good giver, and don’t want to give up that reputation. It can become a contest and a matter of pride.
If our discomfort in receiving is a matter of pride, then our ability to receive would be a matter of humility. Gratefully receiving without feeling like we have to somehow prove our worth, one way or another, isn’t always easy.
Perhaps it’s why it can be so difficult to receive the Gospel of Jesus Christ. God says He loves us, and has given us the gift of His Son so that whoever believes in Him will be granted complete forgiveness and an eternal and perfect relationship with Him. Isn’t there some way we have to earn it, to prove we’re worthy?
Forgiveness and restoration with God is a gift, it’s not earned, but it must be received. In 1833, George Wilson was convicted of numerous crimes and sentenced to death. Influential friends managed to secure him a full presidential pardon. The gift of freedom. The problem is, he refused it. That refusal, as a court of law later established, completely nullified the pardon and rendered it worthless. George Wilson remained condemned.
God offers us complete forgiveness, freedom through Jesus Christ. We don’t earn it, nor can we. It’s a gift. The greatest and most extravagant gift ever. But what good is it, if it’s not humbly and gratefully received.
