Monday, September 24, 2012

"He withholds no good thing from us..."


"He withholds no good thing from us, 
no good thing from us.
I will open my hands, 
I will open my heart...." 

This morning I was reading Scripture, and came upon this statement from the Psalmist: 

"...the Lord will give grace and glory; 
no good thing will he withhold from them..." 

And, as you can imagine if you are a regular reader of this blog, it came into my heart in the voice of a song.  And not surprisingly, the voice of Sara Groves' singing, "Open My Hands." 

The Lord gives us grace, and glory.  Gives!  We don't have to earn it.  And, in fact, we can't.  There is nothing we can do, or say, to make ourselves more acceptable to Him.  He/She is our Father-Mother.  He loves us.  She cares for us.  

In fact, grace, glory -- "all good things," are not a spiritual paycheck.  All good things are not a salary for a life well-lived, a thought well-thunk, or a prayer well-prayed.  They are the unmerited giving of a Father who loves His child. They are the un-earned support of a Mother - for her beloved son/daughter.  

But so often when, as a spiritual thinker, I consider the phrase, "I will open my hands..." It is in easier to imagine opening my hands in service to others, to giving, or to being generous.  

It is not always so easy - or comfortable - for me, to see myself as opening my hands as a "receiver." 

Yet I am learning that to "receive" is just as vital - in the universal flow of "all good things," - as giving.  Whether the divine gifts of grace, glory, and "good things" seem to come directly from a heavenly hand -- dropping into my waiting heart, or through the kindness of a family member, friend, or stranger -- my willingness to accept these gifts, as the presence of God's love and care, must be unconditionally filled with humility, gratitude, and yes, grace. 

Any other response leaves God out of His goodness, and opens the door to believing that there is any other Source, of anything -- good, or not-so-good.  That there could be another cause or creator in the Universe.  

I can't afford to hold that in my heart.  Can you? 

with Love, 

Kate





5 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:38 PM

    thank you Kate. I have been given help in the most amazing ways, and for so long resented needing it. what a waste. I receive AND i give; others receive AND they give. it's all good, all God.
    c

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  2. I so so soooo understand your sentiment. For so long I thought that if God really cared for me, for our family, we would get to be on the "giving" side of the generosity coin. That somehow, being a "giver" would be a better position to be in, a more spiritually-evolved side of the spiritual economy. That we would have proven something, demonstrated something...more.

    But God's love is just that, it's GOD'S love...not his, hers, theirs, mine. God is the only...and I mean the ONLY Source of any substance, supply, resources. It doesn't matter which side of the coin we are looking out from...giving or receiving..we have picked up the substance of God's overflowing love and cannot be separated from His care while holding on to Him. We are engaged in the unconditional flow of spiritual good, the divine economy and we are blessed.

    love, k.

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  3. Anonymous1:37 PM

    one summer it just got to be too much! Someone had given us a new roof (at a cool 15K!) Someone else gave us new beds for the girls. Now it's not like I was wearing a sign "needs new roof," but still ... that was a lot to give, much less to accept. However, I remember being determined to see myself as a giver, and I gave every chance I got ... giving away (rather than re-selling) items that had been given to us. When I heard myself offer to bake a lavish Jamaican Black Cake for the wedding of a complete stranger, I'd realized I'd make it into the big time. I too was a giver, and that was my widow's mite.

    Thank you again for this. A huge load off ... something I've been carrying for years upon years.

    c

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  4. you're welcome...when it comes right down to it, we are ALL receivers from one Divine Source. There is no 1% and 99%....just 100% God-based, God-sourced goodness. We all receive the same amount from Him. All-in-all. It's a radical demand upon us to "own nothing" and to "give all"

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  5. Anonymous1:55 PM

    Love you.

    ReplyDelete