Robbing others of blessings
“Can I do anything to help you? Please let me know if you need anything.”
Her open-ended question and generous offer left me unsure of how to answer. The truth was that I did need help, but I wasn’t exactly sure what kind of help at the moment. Was she asking because she really wanted to help me out or was she just being courteous, I wondered? The last thing I wanted to do was burden my friend, whose plate was already full, so I said, “No, we’re okay. Don’t worry about us. We’re good, we have all we need.”
Have you ever turned down a kind offer from a friend? Over the years, as I have taken numerous dinners to friends who’ve had babies, been sick, or lost loved ones, I’m often met with gratitude and an apology. Something like, “Thank you so much, but you didn’t have to do this.”
Of course, I didn’t have to. I didn’t do it because I felt obligated. I did it because I love and care for the person who, whether or not they admit it, I know is in need of a little relief.
But I’ve also been turned down many times, just as I’ve turned down others. And I’ve realized I do so because I’m operating out of pride. I don’t want others to think I can’t sufficiently, at all times, care for myself or my family. I don’t want them to assume I don’t have it together (although it’s no secret that I don’t). And I assume I’m a burden when in reality, I’m robbing my friend of a blessing.
In Acts 20:35, Paul quotes Jesus saying, “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Blessing lies in the giving, and yet when we refuse to be the recipient, we rob the giver of a blessing. A unique blessing that can only be felt and experienced through an accepted act of kindness and generosity.
Be a blessing to others, my friend, but allow others the opportunity to bless you. Take them up on their acts of kindness and generosity. If they didn’t want to do it, they wouldn’t offer. So if they ask, don’t turn them down. A hot meal delivered to your door (even if you’re well and fine), an offer to treat you to lunch, a gift just because, or a helping hand. You can receive kindness and love from another without the feelings of guilt or obligation that you must return it immediately, and do so likewise.
God will use their kindness and your grateful acceptance to bless you both, something you certainly don’t want to miss out on receiving!
