Receiving gifts is hard for me...
Yesterday was orientation and today was my first day at a new job location. They prepared a gift bag full of fun treats and a hand-made card:
I mentioned Pokemon during the interview and they took note of it. Remembered it. Then used it to personalize my card.
Amazing! Stellar Service! Totally blown away.
Inside, though, part of me also took it for granted. Anytime I'm the center of attention I run from it as fast as I can. So I left shortly after and went back to my office to train on the computer.
The whole way back to the desk there was this inner voice saying:
"Aww... that's just what companies do for new hires... you're not that special. Don't let it get to your head..."
News Flash, ladies and gentlemen, that is false humility. It's actually serving to lessen the gift by a refusal to be simply grateful.
I can give and give and give and expect nothing in return, that's second nature to me; however, I have a hard time receiving gifts. There's a strong sense of "I'm not worthy" running underneath everything I do.... every thought I have... and for good reason.
I'm not.
As the Apostle Paul once said, I'm the Cheif of Sinners.
That aside, wallowing in this "I'm not worthy" thought place will keep you from receiving more from God. It will also prevent you from being simply grateful, which is your gift back to the gift-giver.
If you need a spin that makes you feel like you are doing something:
Your gift to the giver is "gratitude".
Just smile, and say: "Thank you!" The giver is going to feel best when you appreciate the gift. I think I said thank you, but I'm quick to run away from gift-giving sessions in which I am the center of attention. I once ran away from a surprise birthday party and locked myself in a room for hours.
That is wrong.
Humility sometimes means letting someone else have the privilege of being a giver. If it truly is more blessed to give than receive, then someone has to be the receiver for the giver to give to... so allow yourself to be given to, it's an act of service to the giver, an act of humility.
There's nothing you could ever do to earn God's free gift of His son, Jesus. He is a gift. So you owe it to the Father to be simply grateful, and you owe it to the Father to be grateful to his ambassadors too when they give to you on this earth too (whether they know it's from Him or not).
Tomorrow, I'm going to send an email to the team thanking them!
That's my thought for today,
Darrell G. Wolfe
Uodate: I did send that email.
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