Before you give...you must receive.

Whether you realize it or not…you may be pretty bad at receiving. 

Someone gives you a compliment: “Oh, this silly shirt? I only spent $5 for it at the thrift store.” 

Someone tells you that you are a great mom: “Who me? You don’t see me first thing in the morning!” 

Someone wants to bless you with extra money: “Oh no. I absolutely don’t need anything! You keep it!” 

Did you see that in most of these statements, the response is not a simple “thank you?” We beat around the bush, making excuses or explanations about the comments, compliments, or gifts that are being shown to us. Essentially (hard truth here), we reject it. 

What most people think is being humble…is disguised as false humility. Now, not all of the time. Being humble is super important. But FALSE humility created in me a heart posture that wasn’t able to receive. 

“God must not love me that much because He isn’t blessing me right now.”

“Maybe I just need to do more in order to be a better Christian and then God will love me.” 

“I need to just keep myself small because doesn’t the Bible say something about “the least of these?” 

Unworthiness breeds false humility. And unworthiness is rooted in an identity apart from God. Rooted in an identity that says “I wasn’t good enough then, I must not be good enough now.” And even if you are trying to fight it…by striving, by doing more, by trying…deep, deep, down those wounds and experiences that hurt you still have a hold. 

But here is the revelation I have for you! And I promise, it’s for the good of your marriage too! 

When we are stuck in unworthiness and false humility…never being able to receive…how does our heart know how to receive GOD’s LOVE? And if we are not able to fully receive His love, how are we supposed to love other people?! Including our husband?!

Jesus, God’s very own son…came to the earth to serve us. TO SERVE US! Matthew 20:28 “For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” 

How many of you are having a hard time thinking about Jesus serving you right now? You can’t imagine a king serving the likes of you? 

Well, here is what Jesus says about it to Peter who said no. John 13:8 “Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” 

Unless you learn to RECEIVE from the Lord…you don’t belong to Him! Friends, this is amazing news! Because it’s not what we DO that makes us worthy in God’s eyes…it’s simply opening out our hands to receive more of Him and His love! 

When I finally opened my heart all the way up…and received God’s love fully and an identity as His daughter…my entire life CHANGED. I decided to put Him first FULLY. Seek Him FULLY. Lay down anything that wasn’t of Him…including music, tv, sins, and unforgiveness in my heart…and I was truly made new. 

But this newness…it didn’t just benefit me. It impacted my husband, my family and others. Which is exactly God’s design. Keep reading in John 13, verses 13-15 “You call me Teacher and Lord and you are right, because that’s what I am. And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.”

He first served us…so that we could go out and serve others! It’s like that quote says “you can’t pour from an empty cup.” Ya, that’s Biblical and you didn’t even know it! 

So next time you are sitting in a puddle of shame because you just feel like you aren’t loving your husband right. You aren’t serving others around you with joy. You are stuck in obligation mode or a sense of false humility is creeping up on you…turn to John 13 and see what Jesus says about RECEIVING. 

The closer I got to the Lord…the more I began to walk in my identity that He gave me…the more His love poured out of me into others. Who fills our cup? Jesus. And then and only then…can you give fully and authentically to others! 

Receive His gift today, my friend. He has been waiting for you!!!!