Ministerial Miscellany – Giving and Receiving

I think we have all heard that giving is receiving, but is that something we actually experience? I don’t think it is very common. As a Catholic child growing up, I was taught “tis better to give than to receive.” As a young adult, I remember thinking, “This idea sucks. Why don’t I ever receive anything?” After spending a lot of years complaining about not receiving, I realized that I just did not have any spiritual understanding of giving and receiving. I was thinking that every time I gave something, I should then receive something from someone in a similar way. That’s not quite how it works. I have indeed been receiving endlessly throughout my life.

Giving and receiving are two aspects of the same flow of energy in the Universe. We inspire change and healing from an egoless place deep within ourselves. When we willingly give what we seek, we keep abundance of our universe flowing. I finally discovered I could never manipulate receiving – just be available and here it is. I gave up being needy. It took some growing up. All of you are great examples!

Our special events at Interfaith in September will give us all opportunities for giving and receiving. More information is on our website: interfaithspirit.org.

On September 8th during Sunday service, we will have our Gathering of the Waters Ceremony, celebrating our end of the summer return Home with each other. We bring a small bottle of water, commemorating where we have been this summer, sharing a memorable aspect of our experiences.

Blessings for a warm and mosquito-less Fall,

Annie