Giving and Receiving
With Christmas fast approaching, my amazon cart is full to the brim. Mostly because my MO is to put a bunch of gift ideas in my cart and then wait about a week to actually purchase anything at all. It takes me about that long to think, and over think, and change my mind, and finally decide to make my purchase. And then immediately regret my decision, being sure that there was a more perfect gift just around the corner.
Paul in Acts tells us that Jesus once said it was better to give than to receive. This simple statement has rolled around in my heart for many years. Long enough for it to have taken on a mind of its own. Long enough for my subconscious to give it a completely new interpretation.
“It is better to give than to receive” has now become “The only way that people will know you love them is if you get them the perfect gift that they never knew they wanted and could not live without.” I’ll let you know what translation that interpretation comes from in the notes at the bottom…
There is a beauty to Christmas. A time to celebrate. To connect with the peace and joy that comes with Advent. To remind each other of the ultimate gift born out of endless love that was given to us in the manger. We get to do this by giving gifts to our loved ones. Which is really fun and beautiful.
But I often have to remind myself that these gifts are a symbol of something bigger. They are not an actual representation of my love to the person. They are a symbol to remind them that although my gift with break or run out or maybe possibly not be very good or satisfying, that Jesus was God’s gift to us. That He is the perfect gift. The gift that will satisfy all of our earthly needs and longings.
So when your soul tells you it is better to give and receive, do not let it shame you.
Remember that Paul was not reminding us to give extravagant gifts to prove our love. But was urging us to be generous in the everyday out of the love we already have through Christ. To give freely of our time and resources all year long.
Give gifts generously. But do not let it overshadow the ultimate gift. God knew it was better to give than to receive. He gave His only son, knowing that we could never match His generosity. He not only gave to us abundantly, but He freed us of the obligation to give back. He gave freely, asking only that we receive it with open hearts.
Christmas is not about the good gifts we give. It is not about if they are good enough. If we make it about living up to a certain expectation, then we are missing the point entirely.
Christmas is a symbol of the most generous, universe altering gift that we never would have even known to ask for.
A compulsion to fulfill someone’s needs through the perfect gift, keeps us distracted from the ultimate gift that we have already received.
And isn’t that the kicker. At Christmas, we tell ourselves it is better to give than to receive. But honestly, all God initially asks us to do is receive. We are not above receiving. We have to. We have to receive the gift of salvation. If we refuse to receive, we will have nothing of worth to give.
Free yourself from that expectation. Give generously. Not to earn love or prove your love. Give gifts knowing that their ultimate need has already been met by the perfect gift in the manger. The gift that was sacrificed on our behalf, that we can now be seated at the right hand of God for eternity.
As you give, spend some time contemplating your need to receive. We have nothing that was not given to us. We have need to receive that is deeper than we could ever imagine. Our need to receive grace, salvation, strength, rebuke, reconciliation, and so much more make us more needy than we are comfortable to admit. And He gave to us generously out of His abundance and yet with great sacrifice. Let that transform our giving this year. Let our gifts not just be wrapped in paper, but in our time, our presence, our grace, our forgiveness, our empathy, and our service. Let us give out of abundance of what we have received from the Lord.
