God loves the wide receivers

I have a confession to make: I love to give, but I struggle to receive.

Growing up, I was always told that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35). Ever since, I’ve made giving a part of my everyday life.

I enjoy giving away clothes to families in need. I make time each year to purge and give away items I no longer use. When God speaks to my heart, I will give money to random strangers or leave an extra tip as a show of God’s love.

When I was younger, my sister and I got in trouble because we gave away all of the juice boxes that my parents bought for us.

It was ingrained in us that we should always be lenders and not borrowers. We should always be in a position to give rather than looking to receive.

My giving is not always a matter of what I have in my wallet. It is also what I pour out emotionally and spiritually. As a minister, I consider my calling to be one that gives to God and to God’s people without needing to receive. Whether preaching or counseling, teaching or simply encouraging, I enjoy giving to meet the needs of others.

I never considered that my giving would be a problem until recently.

It had been a really long week, and after all of my giving, I was tired. A few days later, a friend offered to treat me to a massage. Immediately, I began thinking about all of the reasons why it wouldn’t be right for me to take her up on the offer. How much money would she have to spend? How could I pay her back? When would she expect something in return?

After talking to a few people, I realized that so many people struggle with receiving. While giving may come easy for some, receiving requires so much more. In order to receive, you have to recognize that you have a need. And having a need can make you feel, well, needy. Vulnerable. Weak. Out of control.

Then it hit me: You cannot give what you have not received. Our entire lives depend on receiving from God. All things come from God, and everything we are is because God made us. On top of that, the Bible tells us that God gave us his Son, Jesus, as a gift of his great love toward us. “Since he did not spare even his own Son but gave him up for us all, won't he also give us everything else?” (Romans 8:32, NLT)

God loves us so much that he not only gave us his Son, but everything else as well, including his Holy Spirit as a guide and a promise of his return.

God designed us as receivers. Yes, even before football was in season, you and I were made to catch all that God throws our way and pass it on to someone else.

Giving and receiving is easy when we recognize that it all comes from God. What I give comes from the abundance that I have received. I can receive because I know that it comes from God, even if it comes through someone else.

So, receive wide and receive big. Don’t close your hand or your heart, but open them both to the Lord. You’ll be surprised what God puts in them.

This story was originally published September 23, 2015 at 3:34 PM with the headline "God loves the wide receivers."