For some folk it is more difficult to receive than it is to give.  For them receiving is degrading.  It creates a situation in which they are not in control.  It implies a sense of dependency upon another.  Their egos are affected by the fact that someone else has the power to meet their needs.  While giving accents the prosperity and prominence of the giver, receiving requires the humble acceptance of another's good fortune.  Even when need is not the motive of giving, for some it still suggests a subtle sense of poverty.  Some people simply are not equipped to receive anything from anyone without making adequate compensation.  This ought not to be.

Life at its best is a healthy combination of both giving and receiving.  Of course no one wants to be a deadbeat, yet there is a place for us to receive humbly that which others give in love.  To deny their gift is to reject their kindness.  Therefore, let us graciously receive from those who wish to give and in so doing learn the lesson of grace.

The gospel reminds us over and over again that our relationship to God is that of recipient.  The call of salvation is that we humbly accept His offer of love in Christ Jesus.  Before grace can ever be appropriated in our life, our mood must be one of dependency and trust.

In that sense, we must first be receivers before we can ever be givers.  When we understand that all we have has been received from God and others, then giving and receiving take on a new meaning.  Let the gift of grace bless both your giving and receiving this Christmas.