Giving

APRIL 7, 1980, 5:40 AM

The morning is new, o son, and you come to be taught about giving. (For this you must give your mind to Me for this time. Put aside the other thoughts and just listen to Me. Otherwise it shall be one of those “difficult days”. Which shall it be?)

I have given you this day. This is a spiritual truth. One who does not believe also experiences this as the first Monday in April and would scoff at the notion of this being a gift. But in faith you acknowledge that this day of life is a gift from Me. Perhaps it is “normal”… a natural happening in the world I have created. Still… how much life is “natural and normal” for you? Could this not be a special gift? Faith says acknowledge… accept… thank… bless. Better to have thanked unnecessarily than not at all.

Giving is one of the essences of the spiritual dimension of health, and it is fundamental to any spiritual relationship. The health aspect is that the person acknowledges the gift of life, of time, of talents, of substance, and reciprocally gives in return. Life is a matter of giving and receiving. The spiritually healthy person feels comfortable with “being given to”. The response is to give in return.

This becomes complicated with a sense of independence. It is also healthy to have such a spiritual sense. Aha! You grasped the truth quickly. It is a fundamental rhythm… the balance between self-sufficiency and independence and the acceptance of help and dependence. Yes, you, o son, are a strange combination. You have no trouble acknowledging Me and accepting dependence on Me. But with others you are often almost excessively independent. I am not asking you to change radically. Just be aware of and appreciate the rhythm of life circumstances. I challenge you… today… to consider the giving and receiving as against self-sufficiency. It could be a good exercise. You’ll have to have some reminder, though. Work one out. (I won’t give it to you.)

You shall give blood today. At least this is your plan. It is an actual and a spiritual gift. It is a tangible, objective part of you that is taken out and, hopefully, given to someone with a great need for it. But it needs to be accompanied by a spiritual sense of giving… giving it even if it were wasted or spoiled… giving in the spirit of life continuing. Giving blood is an important symbolic act. Consider the spiritual components.

I give you many things. Continue to acknowledge as many as you notice. Give in return. Give in response to that which you are given. This is the essence of grace. It’s pretty simple, really. It is better to give than to receive. Slightly. The fuller truth is… it is better to be giving and receiving than living life independently and alone. But it is still part of a rhythm… just overbalanced toward a giving-receiving way.

I shall forgive your inattentiveness. In return, do what I suggested above for today. It shall be enlightening. This shall be a strenuous week. Use it well. It is one of My gifts.

Shalom
6:41 AM