What Are You Receiving?

Late last year a long held dream came to fruition and I was simply overcome with gratitude. I was walking around  in utter amazement of my good fortune and I simply couldn't say thank you enough.

In my state of awe, a dear friend said to me, " You need to receive better. You are acting as if you don't deserve this."

What?

As we delved deeper into the meaning behind her words I knew she was right. Being grateful was the mask of my perceived unworthiness.

A Course in Miracles states that giving and receiving are one. We receive what we are giving and we give what we receive. There is no mention of gratitude.

It is important to be grateful but sometimes our state of gratitude is so giant that we forget we are deserving of all good.

One Christmas when I was little I made gifts for my nine siblings and my parents. I was so excited about those gifts.  As each family member opened their present I got a smile and a thank you. That was it. I felt so sad. I wanted a more excited reaction. My gifts weren't received, even though they each said thank you ever so politely.

God must feel the same.  We list  thank yous in journals and on our Facebook feed. We smile and say thank you to compliments. But do we really receive the gifts?

I invite you to stop and ask yourself, "What am I receiving right now?"

And next time you receive a gift, even one that is not wrapped in shiny paper, allow yourself to savor it before you rush into gratitude.