I recently heard a story about a missionary who was working
in a farming community of a very economically depressed country. One day, one of the local men the missionary
had gotten to know asked if he had a farm back at home. The missionary lived in a large city and
replied that he did not have a farm and then thought no more about it. Several days later when the missionary was
getting ready to return home, this man came to him and, with very sincere
concern, told him that he and his wife decided to give the missionary some of
their land since, because he had no farm where he lived, he was obviously in
greater need than they were.
As poor as this family was, their priority was to give of
what little they had. It would have been
an understandable response for the missionary to refuse the gift, to assure the
man that he had no need of the land.
After all, the missionary’s purpose was to give, not to receive. Fortunately, the missionary understood the value
for this couple in being able to give as well as receive. His response was to thank this man for his
generosity and accept the gift. Wisely,
before the missionary got on the plane to return home, he requested that the
man and his wife do him a great favor and care for “his land” as their own
since he would not be able to do it himself.
How comfortable are you with receiving? I can only speak for myself, but I don’t do
it very well. Whether it’s a compliment
offered after a project I’ve completed or a birthday gift given to me by one of
my children, I tend to deflect. “No, it
was really nothing.” “Seriously, you
guys shouldn’t have done that.”
As a Christian, I believe giving is a part of who I am
called to be. However, I think the
unintentional message I may send when I don’t receive well is that those
extending their kind words or gracious gifts actually don’t have anything of
value to give me. And that’s the
furthest thing from the truth.
The Christmas season is a time of gift giving, but it’s also
a time of gift receiving. God is the
greatest Gift Giver, and the only appropriate response for the gift of Jesus is
a humble, “Thank you!” Maybe these are
the only words needed as we learn to acknowledge the great need we have for
each other as well.
Tami Cinquemani
