by Suzanne Baker Hogan
Receiving is about opening ourselves up to love, but too often in my life I have blocked it. I have been given wonderful gifts only to fear receiving them. I have worried about putting people through too much trouble, and very quickly, I have felt beholden to them. I immediately assume that I have to give something back in return because too often in my life I have felt unworthy of being given to. And I have closed my heart for fear of feeling vulnerable. And so, I have accepted people’s gifts like flattery that doesn’t stick, and this constricts the natural flow of life – the balanced exchange of giving and receiving.
At the end of the day, I have learned that to restrict the exchange of life honors no one. Restricting is an act of separation that leads to immense struggle. It begets a weary battle of taking and losing.
Although we may feel vulnerable when we open ourselves up to receive, this effort echoes human courage. It harkens back to the plan we are all acting out here. We didn’t come to this earth to be restricted and to struggle; we came here to be vulnerable and to grow with love. We are here to receive from others, and in that receiving, find great healing that benefits us forever.
Receiving heals, and it is one of the most important lessons that I am learning on my journey. And what I am remembering most is that I naturally know how to give and receive. In fact, it's as easy as breathing.
I have simply forgotten how to breathe – how to take in and give back effortlessly, without restriction. And it starts with feeling worthy again of this natural exchange, with remembering that I am already an integral part of everything. Self-love gets me back there. It returns me to myself.
If I allow myself to truly engage in the spiritual intimacy of life and not fearfully shy away, I make myself available to unfolding gifts of staggering beauty. Receiving and giving then happen effortlessly, without any planning whatsoever. Without recompense of any kind. This is how we each rediscover our immense value and honor each other in the dance of life. It is where both the giver and receiver bask in gratitude and awe-inspiring love.
Nature reminds us how. If a tree were to take in water and not give anything back, it wouldn’t be part of divine balance. It wouldn’t sustain us in its essential way. This is what you are here to do, brave soul – sustain us in the ways that only you can, and this requires that you also receive.
Receiving is about opening ourselves up to love, but too often in my life I have blocked it. I have been given wonderful gifts only to fear receiving them. I have worried about putting people through too much trouble, and very quickly, I have felt beholden to them. I immediately assume that I have to give something back in return because too often in my life I have felt unworthy of being given to. And I have closed my heart for fear of feeling vulnerable. And so, I have accepted people’s gifts like flattery that doesn’t stick, and this constricts the natural flow of life – the balanced exchange of giving and receiving.
At the end of the day, I have learned that to restrict the exchange of life honors no one. Restricting is an act of separation that leads to immense struggle. It begets a weary battle of taking and losing.
Although we may feel vulnerable when we open ourselves up to receive, this effort echoes human courage. It harkens back to the plan we are all acting out here. We didn’t come to this earth to be restricted and to struggle; we came here to be vulnerable and to grow with love. We are here to receive from others, and in that receiving, find great healing that benefits us forever.
Receiving heals, and it is one of the most important lessons that I am learning on my journey. And what I am remembering most is that I naturally know how to give and receive. In fact, it's as easy as breathing.
I have simply forgotten how to breathe – how to take in and give back effortlessly, without restriction. And it starts with feeling worthy again of this natural exchange, with remembering that I am already an integral part of everything. Self-love gets me back there. It returns me to myself.
If I allow myself to truly engage in the spiritual intimacy of life and not fearfully shy away, I make myself available to unfolding gifts of staggering beauty. Receiving and giving then happen effortlessly, without any planning whatsoever. Without recompense of any kind. This is how we each rediscover our immense value and honor each other in the dance of life. It is where both the giver and receiver bask in gratitude and awe-inspiring love.
Nature reminds us how. If a tree were to take in water and not give anything back, it wouldn’t be part of divine balance. It wouldn’t sustain us in its essential way. This is what you are here to do, brave soul – sustain us in the ways that only you can, and this requires that you also receive.
Suzanne Baker Hogan, spiritual writer and author of SharetheSpiritual.com and Twin Flame Help, is a guest blogger and coauthor of F.A.I.T.H. – Finding Answers in the Heart, Volume II. To order your copy of this inspirational book, click here. She is also the author of True Love is Real, a book that assists those going through a Twin Flame relationship.
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