The December Lesson: Receiving

   Again, I must apologize if this post does not make much sense, but when something hits me with such force and power I find it hard to articulate my feelings in a way that others will understand or comprehend.

   Receiving Anxiety: I think it's a very real thing :) This year has seemed to be the worst it has ever been for me. I literally made myself sick thinking about it. The Anxiety over receiving gifts from friends and family was overwhelming & honestly quit heavy!

   If you ask any child which is better between giving or receiving, they will probably tell you that receiving is a whole lot more fun then giving. Somewhere between childhood and adulthood I lost that mentality completely. As if giving made me superior(received praise) and receiving made me weak.

   Maybe, it was in 3rd or 4th grade when I had enough money to go to Santa's work shop at school & finally pick something out for my mom and dad. Pretty sure my mom loved the ceramic cow toothpick holder (nail that one) or getting dad a leather-man or pocketknife every year just seemed perfect. Maybe, it was when I was little and we would go out Christmas Eve doorbell ditching to give to those in need in our neighborhood. Or maybe, as parents we try to teach our children the right principles about not being spoiled and selfish. That in trying to teaching them about these things we use songs about Santa and how he's checking his list to see who's naughty or nice that we imply that gifts are earned or conditional.

  Everything had it's opposite we seem to learn in contrasts... Rich/Poor Good/Bad Right/Wrong Light/Dark Giving/Receiving. Rich is easier then being poor, Yes is better than no, right is superior to wrong, light is safer than dark. So it stands to reason in this deeply ingrained sorting system, that either giving or receiving must be “better. We've heard it over and over again from our parents and religious leaders “tis better to give than to receive," I must have really taken that one to heart. I don't recall every having a conversation about receiving. I felt like I never heard about receiving until this year, it could be that I was just blinded by my own ego or wasn't ready to hear it, but this year's First Presidency's Christmas Devotional Pres. Uchtdorf spoke about receiving.

  For the last five years I have been working on being unconditional LOVE. I never realized that by not allowing other to give me gifts, I was putting conditions/limits on their LOVE as well as the way that I received LOVE. Receiving is a part of the Atonement the receiver is being an instrument in the hands of the Lord in fulfilling his Atonement which is LOVE. Gifts are given to express emotion. Usually they are given to express the LOVE that we have for one another. Receiving those gifts is receiving LOVE as well as giving LOVE to the giver. Just as the Atonement is a gift given with LOVE we can not fully feel it's power until we are willing to Receive with LOVE

 According to the Bible, God’s gift of salvation is never because we earn it or deserve it. It is not because we’re givers that we receive His LOVE. According to scripture, salvation is a gift. Only the proud and foolish would ever think they could earn it. With the Holiday Season of celebrating the birth of our Savior in which even the 3 wise men brought gifts that represented so much more then just monetary value. Christ birth was a gift of LOVE given by our Father in Heaven. I am grateful and humbled to be a receiver of my Savior's gift as well as my Heavenly Fathers gift everyday.


 May we all work(me especially) at being better receivers of not only the Gifts given from our Heavenly Father, but also those given from our brothers and sisters.
Merry Christmas.