It’s Okay to Receive

The holidays are upon us. For many, this is a time of giving. Many charities, religious groups, and other various organizations put the message out that giving is the way to feel good. And while I wholehearted agree that giving is indeed a good thing, I also want to talk about the joy of receiving.

“But wait,” I hear some people say, “Don’t you know that receiving is bad and/or selfish! Good people give, not receive!” To those people, I simply say, “Nope. You’re wrong.”

When somebody gives something to someone, the giver feels good because they are helping a person or group of people feel happier. However, have you ever given a gift to someone that doesn’t appreciate or want it? If you gave a present to someone, especially on that you’d put a lot of time and effort into getting, and that person flat out rejects your present, you generally feel pretty awful and upset. The joy that comes from giving a gift is generally only experienced if the receiver expresses joy in receiving it as well. In this manner, both the giver and receiver come away feeling better. That’s how it’s supposed to work anyway.

In my experience, it seems that most of the time, people don’t like being the receivers of gifts, particularly when those gifts represent something the receiver needs, but can’t provide it for themselves. I’ll use me as an example.

A few years ago, I was out of work and hadn’t had any luck in landing a new job. For the first time in my life, I had to file for unemployment and rely on State benefits to…