Asher, our grandson, is a good eater. He loves his bottle; and when he wants to eat, we all know he is ready. But, like so many infants, he doesn’t recognize the nipple of the bottle when it is placed in his mouth because he is too busy crying. Asher, at that point, is intent on getting what he wants. He doesn’t realize all he has to do is receive what has already been given.
I find correlations to Asher’s predicament in my own life. At times I go before my Heavenly Father, asking for what I need or want; and in my asking (sometimes better known as whining or begging) I am completely oblivious to what He is already offering me. In those instances I am so intent on getting, I haven’t a clue that I could be receiving!
Just recently I asked the Lord to smooth over some rough details in a relationship. I was so ready to bail, just to get some peace in my life. But, He was offering so much more. When I stopped my crying – and, believe me, I was CRYING – I was able to hear God’s prompting of reconciliation. So, opening myself to what was offered in Jesus, I took steps toward receiving. Needless to say, when I took the reconciliation steps, the restored and healed relationship I received surpassed the peace I was focused on getting. I almost missed out on receiving because of the getting. It makes me wonder how many receiving opportunities I have lost!
May your intention and mine be that we “respond to God’s giving;” and in so doing, receive, rather than get.
“What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving.” Matthew 6:32, The Message
