It’s better to give than to receive, as the saying goes. This holiday season, I must admit that I find both giving and receiving quite difficult. Some people – my children, for example – seem to have no problem receiving. I, however, prefer being self-sufficient. That feels safer somehow. It doesn’t matter what the gift is: someone’s time, money, or material possessions. I fear feeling burdensome or indebted to the gift-giver. On the other side of the equation, I want to have a generous heart in giving, but worry that my gifts will be insufficient. Giving and receiving both require vulnerability. They are foundational expressions of love, and love requires vulnerability.

This need to express love as giving and receiving is essential at all times of the year, but the holidays can be a great reminder to recommit to practices that have fallen by the wayside. As I reflect on God’s generous love and faithfulness to me this past year, I am compelled to not only pass that generous love along to others, but to allow them to pass it back on to me. To be faithful to this call to love, I must surrender my fears and insecurities to God. In receiving God’s gift of love to me, I acknowledge that God often chooses to express that love through His people. It may come in the form of a kind word, an investment of time, an act of service, or a material gift. This year I have determined to give gifts generously and to receive them graciously, because I know both the acts of giving and receiving reflect God’s generous love to the world.