Many people enjoy receiving gifts. That wasn't the case for me. I used to dread receiving gifts to the point where I would get high anxiety over it. But preparing for our first trip taught me that receiving is also a blessing. It is a blessing to the receiver as well as the giver. I learned that declining gifts can void the giver of a beautiful blessing.
It was about a week before the full amount for the trip was due and I still needed a few hundred dollars. A close friend offered to give me half of it but there was no way I could take $300 dollars from her. I refused. Then a friend told me that refusing a gift would deny her of a blessing. She really didn't mind giving it. She had no attachment to the money. After our yard sale and a few donations from friends, I was only left with needing $60. That was much more reasonable to ask for from my friend. Through this I learned that I was not taking money from her it was willingly given to me.
That was not the end of the lesson God was teaching me. In Ethiopia it is considered an insult to not accept what they offer. "Okay... no big deal. I'll just accept a few things while I'm there for two weeks." Wrong! Turns out they also enjoy giving all of the time. Every day I was offered countless things.
One day, when we got out of our vans, each kid picked one of us and stayed with that person the whole day. The boy that was with me was named Mesfin. He would take my bag off my back and carry it for me. Then, he took my hand and helped me walk through the uneven terrain. We sat down in the main room and the first thing he does is grab a silly band off of his wrist and put it on mine. The next day I got to see him again. I made him a bracelet to show him that I loved him and what does he do? He takes the necklace off his neck and puts it around mine. Ahhh. The non stop giving. It won't stop.
Another day, we brought all of these crafts for the kids. I sat with them while they colored or made bracelets. I watched and played with them. When it was time to leave I got drawings from many of the kids. They kept coming up to me and giving me their artwork. It didn't make sense to me. We brought the stuff for them but they were so willing to give us what they made. Every time I gave one of my drawings to a kid I would get two in return. Then a boy came up to me and told me to hold out my wrist. He took the bracelet he made and tied it around my wrist. I wanted to bawl my eyes out. These kids really understand love.
At every meal we were asked to get seconds and sometimes thirds. But for some reason I forgot that on one of the last days. The church we visited made this huge meal for us. To not be rude I filled up my first plate to the brim and ate all of it. When my plate was gone I was so full that if I ate anymore I would burst. Not even thirty seconds later did the church elder ask me to get more. "Eat much," he said. Slowly and a little hunched, I walked up to get more food. I just put a few things on my plate and ate very slowly. How could I forget that they would ask me to get more?
By the end of the trip I really didn't mind receiving things anymore. I looked forward to the three rounds of coffee they served after every meal and the popcorn that accompanied it. God really helped me to see that gifts are meant to be given. In order for them to be given I must receive them. What a blessing this lesson was.
Coming home didn't end this lesson. This time I got to be on the outside of an exchange. When I was working there was an old lady that could not pay for her groceries. She counted out all of her change and got half of her total. The man behind her offered to give her the rest but she said no. He offered again and she refused. He clearly was doing it out of more than just kindness. He sincerely wanted to help her with the rest of the money. It was only a few more dollars but she wouldn't take it. I had to cancel the order and she said that she would come back later for the groceries. This showed me that pride is what stops us from receiving what could be an amazing blessing. If the woman accepted this man's gift then she wouldn't of had to go home to get more money and come all the way back.
I think I've grown significantly in this area. There are times where I still find it hard to receive but I have definitely come a long way and it is only by God's grace.
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