The gift received from giving

Recent realization that the better hugs I give, the better hugs I receive prompted this past week’s lesson. It’s a flat out truth that the more love and blessings any of us invest in a hug, the more love and blessings we come away with as well.

It is more blessed to give than to receive…. (Acts 20:35)

The above scripture didn’t become clear to me until relatively recently. I grew up thinking the the only (or at least the “best”) way into God’s favor was to give more than I got. But I wasn’t sure what the measuring system was. Plus, it became somewhat inverted in my mind and I began to read it as “it’s better if you don’t receive too much.” Of course, that led to the sense that I was always wanting/receiving too much, like it or not.

Lately I’ve realized the real truth that giving allows us to receive. As we allow ourselves to receive, we stimulate the ever increasing flow of good, of energy, of love. Several experiences in the past few years have helped me to this awareness. Even more recently than my hugging lesson, was leading a mini-workshop in Praying in Color. Four of us were in attendance and the 90 minutes flew by. I loved the facilitation and everyone seemed to enjoy. For me, the outstanding take-away was how wonderful I felt from being free to share the ideas of laying prayer thoughts out on paper, with colors and emotion and no worry about the words.

Another enforcement of the gift that giving gives back to me are socks and water. A couple of years ago I decided to offer those on Austin’s street corners a pair of socks and/or a bottle of water. (In summer, socks are better; plastic bottles don’t fare well in our heat!). I soar that almost every woman or man accepting the gift responds with, “God bless you!” And I am so sure that God does…by allowing me to receive from the simple act of giving.

Now think but an instant on this: God gave [the] Sonship to you to ensure your perfect creation. (ACIM 15, VIII, 4, 1)

It’s fairly awesome to realize that the truest gift from God is our being. Our being as expression of perfect creation. Our being as the Child of God, and that means not each of us as a child of God, but all of us–together, united, One–as the Child of God.

2. We are spiritual beings, created in God’s image. The spirit of God lives within each person; therefore, all people are inherently good. (Unity Principles)

We can take that gift of God more specifically: God gave the Christ to us to give us the power of perfection. And so, the question is: What is the purpose of that gift? Are we supposed to do anything with it? Should we strive to

Sure, why not?! But how about the gift we receive from giving our gift? The gift of Christ is the gift of union. God gave us the gift.

By giving the gift—by recognizing, celebrating, enjoying—we receive still more reason, awareness, power that we are joy-filled expressions of God. By giving the gift we learn in many ways the truth that by giving we receive all the more.

You can listen to Sunday’s lesson.

Love and blessings!

Posted on August 1, 2012 at 7:34 am by Tim · Permalink
In: Christ Spirit, God, Happiness, Joy, Oneness, Prayer, Prosperity, Spirituality · Tagged with: , , , , ,