Have you ever wondered why it is that for so many of us (and I count myself among these numbers) it is easy to give but so awkward and uncomfortable to receive? What is it that makes receiving so difficult for some of us?
In my experience, I have learned to rely on myself almost exclusively, in an effort to ‘not take up space’ and to not be a bother or a burden to anyone else. But that is a tiring and stressful road to walk.
It took many years for me to unlearn this behaviour, and to understand that there is as much virtue in receiving as there is in giving. As Kahlil Gibran said in The Prophet: “For in truth it is life that gives unto life - while you, who deem yourself a giver, are but a witness.” So whether we are giving or receiving, we are but witnesses to the natural act of life giving unto life!
We live in a Universe of order and balance where there is a natural flow of energy, of matter, of love… If we choose to only give (and not receive), or to only receive (and not give) then we upset that balance in our little corner of life, and our daily experience becomes less wholesome.
So let us give freely, without expectation of reward, and let us receive with gratitude and joy, and without feeling that we are in debt to the giver, thus staying within the natural flow of the Universe - living a life of balance.
Namaste,
Yvette