Day 358: The Value of Receiving

“When we give cheerfully and accept gratefully, everyone is blessed.”

~Maya Angelou

We talk a lot about how important it is to give to others, and to give without expecting anything in return is even better. The Bible teaches that “It’s better to give than receive.”Acts:20:35. I’m not here to argue with the word of God. I think we all understand the Bible is referring to those who selfishly expect with no intention of giving to others.

I never thought of it until now, but when I give from the heart, I can’t wait to see how the receiver opens that gift. It must be because when someone gives from the heart, I feel special to them. So, of course, I give with the same intention wanting the receiver to know how special they are to me. It’s not about the cost of the gift. It’s about the thought that goes into it.

Something else to consider is that it’s just as important for the receiver to accept our gifts as for the giver to give them. Have you ever been given a gift, and someone told you they didn’t want it? It’s hard to imagine someone doing that. In this respect, you can see how rejection is far more selfish than receiving. It takes just as much goodness to give as it does to receive graciously. I had to learn how to receive kind words from others because I didn’t think I was worthy of them. I had to learn how to accept others’ help when they offered, by remembering how much it meant to me to help them when they needed it. There are all kinds of ways we give and receive from each other.

Reflection: We give and receive; we receive and give. It’s how we keep filling each other’s cups back up, and that, my friends, is how the cycle of giving and receiving goes round and round. I call it goodness in motion.

Day 352: The Value of Willingness

Willingness opens doors to knowledge, direction, and achievement. Be willing to know, be willing to do, be willing to create a positive result. Be willing, especially to follow your dreams.

~Peter McWilliams

Which one comes first choice or willingness? You know the proverb, “Where there’s a will, there’s a way.” I think you have to be willing to make the choices that come with your willingness to do something. Whatever you do, you have a choice, you can do it willingly and experience the positive effects in your life, or you can push your willingness aside and continue to experience the adverse effects.

There are many times that I don’t feel like doing what my willingness is pushing me toward. I don’t feel like writing lately. I have too many pressing things to do right now, but my willingness to stay committed to what I’m doing is a better choice than what I will feel if I give into my negative willfulness.

Having the willingness to do things does not mean we have to say yes to everything. People who are always willing to help tend to be the first ones asked to do something. So along with making choices, willingness also requires a discerning heart.

Reflection: My willingness is like a seed of intention. Once it’s planted deeply into the soil of my life, I must tend to its growth so it can bloom into the beautiful intention it willed into being.

Day 351: The Value of Miracles

“There are two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.

~Albert Einstein

What’s not to value about miracles? If you’ve ever experienced a miracle, you know that it is a gift beyond the understanding of this world. Miracles happen all the time. Sometimes they’re big, and sometimes they are small. The big ones you can’t miss, but it’s the small ones that often go unnoticed, or we find ourselves questioning, (Did that really happen?)

“*A miracle is an act not fully explained by natural forces but attributed to supernatural forces, mainly God. There are many definitions of miracles. But, Biblically speaking, miracles involve God doing something uncommon and usually awe-inspiring in order to reveal himself to mankind.” I love this thought…God revealing himself to me. Jesus taught us that we, too, could do amazing things the way he did through the power of God.

“Christmas is a time to celebrate one of the most remarkable miracles found in the Bible: the virgin birth of Jesus. God sent the angel Gabriel to Mary, a virgin who was engaged to Joseph. The angel explained to her that she would become pregnant through the Holy Spirit without requiring a human father. Mary was initially upset by this news, but the angel explained to her that God was pleased with her and that she would give birth to a son who would save his people from their sins.*” It’s hard to imagine that this could be possible happen. But, hey, if God could create the world we live in, the sun, and the stairs, the universe itself. Then anything is possible in my mind.

“Reports of miraculous childbirth are not, however, limited to Christianity. For example, Karna, a central character in the Sanskrit epic, Mahābhārata, from ancient India, is said to have been born from his virgin mother Kunti through the sun god Surya. The Buddha is believed to have been born from the right side of Maya’s body while standing. Indeed, it is said that when the Buddha was born he immediately walked seven steps and at each step, a lotus flower appeared. Muhammad is also believed to have been accompanied by a bright light when he was born, while the ancient Chinese philosopher Laozi is said to have been born as a fully grey-bearded mam.* ”

These are all pretty bazaar miracles. But who is to say that one is more authentic than the other. Isn’t that the problem today. We argue that we are right and everyone else is wrong without looking deeper into the meanings behind each other’s beliefs. The most miraculous thing about all of these miracles is their underlying connection to one another. One vital thing they all came to teach was the same as Jesus taught us when he gave us the new comments, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.” The Gospel of Luke

Reflection: We are still trying to find the miracle behind these shared words. If we put God first in our lives and let Him reveal himself through us the way he did through Jesus, it just might be the next greatest miracle we see in our lifetime.

https://theconversation.com/why-we-still-believe-in-christmas-miracles-according-to-philosophy-89137

Day 346: The Value of The Spirit of Giving

“It’s not how much we give, but how much love we put into giving.”

~Mother Teresa

Giving means different things to each of us, and it’s hard to get our egos out of the way. That’s what makes spiritual giving different. It’s a gift that comes from the heart with no expectations or gain of valued cost in return. The value is not in the amount you spend. The value comes from the heart and soul of the giver.

Whether we are giving or receiving, it helps to get the ego out of the way. Letting our true self shine through being guided by our highest values and the spirit of all that is good and right in the world. We don’t give to receive, but when we give from the heart, soul, and spirit within, we are blessed with The Grace of God.

Someone I was talking with recently can’t afford to buy gifts this year, so she’s been going through the things she has at home and has decided to gift them to others. Have you ever given away a possession that meant a lot to you? Boy, do you have to get the ego out of the way for that? Whether you are the gift giver or the receiver, being centered spiritually gives us the Grace we need to release and accept the things that come from the spirit of giving.

Reflection: I wonder how many nice things I have just collecting dust around my house that no longer serve me. Things I don’t need anymore that might give joy or fulfill the needs of others? As Mother Teresa teaches us, “it’s not about how much we give, but how much love we put into the giving.”

Day 347: The Value of Blessings

Life is too short to spend it being angry and hurt.

Too precious to be counting every wrong.

Too sacred to be talking about other people.

May God bless you to value life and live it well

Parables

“Oh what a beautiful morning! Oh what a beautiful day. I’ve got a wonderful feeling everything’s going my way.” Song by Gordon MacRae

A long time ago, I wrapped a small empty box in shiny gold paper and added a pretty gold bow. I kept it on the mantle as a reminder of the gift of God’s blessings waiting to be opened. The blessings of God are all around us, but we must choose to see them. Even in the worst of times, there are blessings to be found, like people who love us, a beautiful sunny day, red wine, and chocolate; now that’s a blessing of delight in my day. The big and the little things we often take for granted it’s all inside that little gift box, just waiting to be noticed, tempting us with its shiny paper. Won’t you open me up today so that I can bless you in a special way?

Reflection: Of all the gifts I have opened in my lifetime of Christmas past, none have held up to the promise of God’s blessings in my life. Especially the one I learned to embrace the most. The one where God promised me He would always be with me, and I still feel the presence of God in my life every day.

Day 344: The Value of Embracing Yourself

The Prayer of the Turtle:

Oh God, let me be free of this weighty shell upon my back.

When I’m swimming in the cool dark water

It’s a great discomfort to be weighed down

By this, this, piece of born.

But if I didn’t have a shell…

I wouldn’t be a a Turtle! Amen

~Lois Smith (age13), “Favorite Prayers,” compiled by Deborah Cassidi, page 103

Here we are, getting toward the end of another year, and I am just as fat as I was at the end of last year. Maybe even a few pounds heavier. I don’t want to live the rest of my life worrying about this heavyweight that I am carrying around on top of this shell I call my body.

A friend told me not long ago that maybe being a little overweight is part of who I am. I want to get rid of all this, this extra fat, but who will I be if I lose it? A shrived-up prune?

I like having a plump face. There are fewer wrinkles to stir my vanity. I am healthy too. I don’t want to get any heavier. I want to embrace who I am. Do you know what I mean? I just want to be me.

Reflection: “You have been criticizing yourself for years, and it hasn’t worked. Try approving of yourself and see what happens.” ~Louise Hay

Day 342: The Value of Refuge

Come and rest here come and lay your burdens down.

There is nothing more powerful then knowing that you are not alone in your sorrow, loneliness, struggles, pain and grief. I often listen to this song, Here, by Kari Jobe when I need of comfort. It makes me feel embraced by God. As I lay my burdens down especially the things I have no control over I am able to fill myself up with the power of Gods grace to carry on.

Come and rest here come and lay your burdens down.

Peace my friends!

Day 332: The Value of The Rhythm of Life

“If God is the DJ, then life is the dance floor, love is the rhythm, and you are the music.”

~unknown

There is a rhythm to the changing seasons. Fall gives us the chance to slowly glide into the cold of winter, spring awakens us with a few of its fancy steps, and summer puts us in the full movement of the rhythm of life. Within each season, we dance to the steps of each day, and within each day, we flow into the rhythm of our daily work. At least that’s the way I want it could be. It takes a conscious effort to be in tune with the opportunities that life brings before us; how we perform lies within the choices we make. I can choose to dance my way through things or let my anxiety block the sounds of the music within me.

This weekend as I get into the rhythm of the Christmas season decorating, I realize I have two choices in how I can go about it. I can remember the reason for the season and why I put so much effort into it. Or I can become overwhelmed by perfection and the time limits I put on what I’m doing. Conscious thinking, a few deep breaths, a little Christmas music, and I remember how much fun it is to dance my way through the things I actually enjoy doing.

Reflection: If God is the DJ, life is the dance floor, love is the rhythm, and I am the music. I’m not sure it gets any better than that. I want to dance to the music every day in everything I do and dance my way through the rhythm of life.

Day 291: The Value of Going Higher

“It takes someone strong to leave with their head held high. It takes someone stronger to stay with their head held higher.”

~Isabella Poretsis

It has been a weekend of mixed emotions for me, and while my goal in the “One A Day Values” I write is to bring the better good out in every situation. It is not always easy to rise to the occasion, and I am struggling with my words today. As I was working on rising above one thing after another this weekend, it wasn’t until I got a call from one of my daughters that I began to feel like Job in the Bible. Let’s see if this one will make or break Connie’s faith for the better good. What does a mother do when her child begins to cry so hard she can hardly say the word’s she so desperately needs to get out. It doesn’t matter how old they are. They are always our children. When the words finally became clear, I learned she’d been at Park City Mall when the shooting went down very close to where it took place. She had one child with her; the other was off with her friend. People started to panic and run, and my daughter didn’t know where her daughter was. They finally all got out safely without any injuries, but it was one of the most frightening things they had ever experienced. It breaks my heart that this is the kind of world my grandchildren are growing up in and that it has hit so close to home for all of us now. That negative voice inside me wants to join in with the hateful, angry, and disparaging things people have to say about these actions, but I don’t want to feed the flames of hate.

All day, in the background of my mind, I’ve heard the words to the song, “I want to take you higher,” repeatedly playing in my head. When I finally let it draw me in, I shake my head in awe at how clever God can be at breaking through all my troubles. God wants to take me higher, and of all the ways God finds to get my attention, it’s through one of the Sly & the Family Stone songs. Ok, God, you got a little smile out of that one.

Reflection: So I turn to gratitude and thanksgiving for the safety of my daughter and grandkids. I’m also thankful for the work that God is doing through me. I am grateful for my husband Tom, who leans over and whispers in my ear how proud he is of me. And I am most thankful for the ever-presence of God in my life, who always finds a way to lift me higher.

Day 282: The Value of Authenticity

“Authenticity is the daily practice of letting go of who we think we are supposed to be and embarrassing who we are.”

~Brene Brown

I was in my forties when I began to discover who I was. I thought it was one of the most exciting yet challenging times in my life as I let go of the need to be like everyone else. It opened a space of freedom inside where I could put all the treasured things I discovered about myself during this time. I wasn’t just a daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, or co-worker; I was Connie.

Authenticity doesn’t start at any particular stage of our life. We are authentic from the day we are born. Part of our purpose in life is discovering who we are. Once we know this, we can contribute the best part of our unique, authentic selves to help create…what? Love! Authenticity is our unique way of expressing the love from which we are made. “It is freedom from the illusion of fear and the alignment with love.” unknown

Reflection: “The authentic self is our soul made visible.” ~Sarah Ban Breathnach. Of all the outfits I could put on myself, there is nothing more beautiful to express who I am than the vision of my soul.