Giving vs Receiving

I almost let my last post sit there for another day. I think it's an important one. If you haven't read Counting My Blessings #1 - My Family, please do so. I want you to meet my family, if you haven't already.

But I would be remiss if I didn't acknowledge the fact that our GoFundMe campaign exceeded its goal last night. That, in addition to other gifts we've received over the last month will really give us peace of mind that we'll be able to pay our bills, especially the medical ones, which just seem to keep coming in. I can't describe the feeling of peace I had the last time I took a large stack of bills to the mailbox. It's a miraculous feeling, especially when you realize what my income has been lately.

My wife and I had the option when this all started to go public or remain private. We had a few friends who volunteered to help us, and they have been a tremendous help. One in particular has really been a lifeline for us. But we were not comfortable relying on a few close friends, and having to keep asking for help. I also thought that there might be more people who would want to bless us if they were given the chance. If that were true, I wanted to give them that opportunity.

You see, I really do believe that when Jesus said that it's more blessed to give than to receive, he wasn't expressing a hope or writing a slogan for a fortune cookie. He was stating a simple fact. Those who give get the greater blessing than those who receive. Many people have trouble receiving gifts from others. Their pride gets in the way. They think of it as "charity." But if you don't receive from others graciously, you're robbing them of their blessing. Nothing is worse than giving someone a gift that they don't appreciate, especially when you put a lot of thought into the gift, and was looking forward to giving it. We want that delighted reaction, don't we? We want that blessing.

So I decided that I wanted to give more than just a few people the opportunity to be blessed by blessing us. And you have blessed us beyond measure. I can honestly say that going public with this has been one of the best decisions I've ever made. This journal alone has been exactly what I needed right now. I'm as grateful for the fact that you're here reading this as I am about anything these days.

There's no way we could ever express our gratitude enough, but I have to say to all of you, whether you've contributed or not, thank you for your support! I hope that in blessing us, whether by praying for us, giving to us, or loving us, you too have been greatly blessed.