Happy Wednesday, church family!
Let’s talk about an uncomfortable situation during Christmas time. The doorbell rings, and a friend is there, with a beautifully wrapped gift for you. Wait a minute, that person wasn’t on your gift list. You’ve never exchanged gifts with them before! Your heart rate increases, and a lovely candy cane red color begins to seep up your neck towards your face, while a single drop of sweat appears from nowhere and trickles down your back. What now? Lie, and say you haven’t finished shopping yet? Run to the closet and find the most neutral unwrapped gift to throw in a bag? (I’ve done this). What the heck do you do when someone blesses you and you have nothing to give in return? Well, a polite “thank you” is probably in order. Past that, well, that’s something I’m working on.
Grace feels uncomfortable when we think we have to earn love.
Andy’s words from Sunday’s sermon stuck with me. He talked about Ruth being blessed by Boaz when he allowed her to glean from his fields, and invited her to eat with him at his table. There was no way that Ruth could repay this blessing. I would have crumpled up at this act of kindness! I love doing things for people, for blessing and helping others, for being Boaz. But man, do I struggle allowing someone else to bless me! I feel like I immediately have to do something in return, to be even? To not be in someone’s debt? Ew. I don’t feel like friends I do things for are in my debt, why do I feel that way when I’m on the receiving end?
Friends, God loves to bless us. Often, he does it through other people. When I’m on the receiving end of a blessing, my gut reaction is that uncomfortable feeling, because I’m not accepting it, I’m trying to earn that love. But God’s grace is mercy, love, blessings, all without having earned or deserved it. I talk about wanting to be Jesus for the people around me, but for some reason, I’m protesting letting them be Jesus to me. What if I shifted the way that I was thinking, and not look at a blessing from other people as a “shoot how do I repay this”, but as a blessing from God; something that is based on grace, and there is literally no way to or *need to* repay it. I get to accept it, be grateful, and when I can, turn around, and bless someone else.
Jesus, thank You for the people who show me Your love by blessing me, even when it makes me uncomfortable. I reject the lie that I have to somehow earn blessings from others and You, and embrace the truth that grace and love are given, not earned. I choose to accept blessings with a humble heart, be grateful, and in turn, bless others as I can. Bless and seal these good things, in Your name, amen.
May your week be blessed,
Lisa
