I AM EMBRACING REWARD

“Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” Luke 6:38

I am ready to receive the blessings from my sacrifices.

I am a giver. Are there any givers out there reading with me today? If you’re a giver like me, you probably find yourself doing more than others around you. You probably make sacrifices of your time and resources to make other people happy and to see them go through less. It can be very rewarding for us, because we want those around us to be happy and content and we like how we feel when we make others feel better. It’s not about recognition, per say, it’s about the greater good, right? It’s about making things better than you found them.

But being a giver can be exhausting. It can exhaust your resources of money, time, and energy. And it most definitely will exhaust you emotionally. I think, for me, the hardest part about being a giver is when the receiver doesn’t value the gift. That can look a few different ways. It can be as simple as a lack of gratitude in the form of a thank you. It can be abuse of the gift, by not treating it as if it’s worth anything. Or it can be a continued misuse of the the giver, by taking for granted the fact that they always come through. Being a giver can be exhausting.

What if I were to tell you that there is hope? What if I told you that in spite of being taken for granted or your gifts being abused, that there is a way for you to be rewarded for your efforts? We have many ways we refer to it. Karma. Fate. Reward. What goes around comes back around. The bible says “Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full—pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back.” (Luke 6:38) The more you give, the more you get back, and God never forgets.

So how do we get past the hurt of abusive recipients and begin to walk in the lane of expectancy? How do we keep from becoming bitter so our reward will be greater? I gotta be honest, it’s not easy. Each blow to your gifts hurts your ego and your feelings. And it can even lead to stress and anxiety… even depressed moods because you’re hurting so much. I can’t promise you anything, except that I’m going to affirm you to your reward and be right here in community with you until it’s overflowing! So let’s affirm!

Affirmation 1: I am Embracing Reward. I want you to start by believing you are worthy of the reward. Yup, we’re going to cancel the notion that we’re undeserving of blessings because of how people treat us. We are even more deserving because of how we treat them when they treat us so poorly. Embrace that coming reward and start to make room for it!

Affirmation 2: I am ready to receive the blessings from my sacrifices. It’s time to get ready, friends! God says it’s your season to be blessed and he’s about to open those floodgates, so you better get ready! The worst disservice you can do yourself is not being ready for the reward you just started embracing. That might mean coming out of your comfort zone a little bit, and that’s ok! Come on and get ready!

Affirmation 3: I’m not going to look the gift horse in the mouth. So listen, remember that the reward doesn’t always come from the person who received the gift. Sometimes it comes from a place you’re not expecting. Don’t turn it down. Put down your pride and let the blessing in, no matter where it came from. It’s not our job to question how others want to bless us. It’s our job to receive. Think about how you wanted your giving received… the ones giving to you want the same thing.

Friends, I love you. I love you so much and I’m so grateful for all the giving you’ve given to me, and to others! I thank you for every thank you you never received, I honor you for every honor that was missed. I salute you for every sacrifice you have made, and I encourage you to prepare for the reward that is on the way. Pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. It’s your time! I’m rooting for you, always! Keep conquering daily!