Giving and receiving are different folds in the same piece of cloth. Kung Fu TV Series
And you receivers - and you are all receivers - assume no weight of gratitude, lest you lay a yoke upon yourself and upon him who gives.
Rather rise together with the giver on his gifts as on wings;
For to be overmindful of your debt, is to doubt his generosity who has the free-hearted earth for mother, and God for father. Kahlil Gibran on Giving in the Prophet.
I did not truly understand the Kung Fu quote until our company was having financial problems. It resulted from several of our clients deciding to downsize their staff and put projects we were working on, on hold. My business partner and I had skipped several of our paychecks. I was running short of money and in jeopardy of falling behind in my house payment. One of my sisters live in Atlanta, as did I. I knew if I were to ask her for help, she would if she could. As the oldest sibling of six I took pride in looking out for my siblings and was proud that they could come to me if they needed anything; yet I was reluctant to go to them when I needed help. I would have been truly hurt to find out otherwise. With unexplainable difficulty, I asked my sister for help and she immediately gave me the funds to pay my house note. She also thank me for giving her the chance to do something for me for once. For weeks I pondered my reluctance to ask for help. I suddenly realized that if I were reluctant to ask for help; it was because I felt asking for help somehow diminished me or somehow obligated or burdened the person I asked. If I unconsciously felt that asking for help diminishes the requestor then I must have felt that giving help elevated the giver relative to the receiver. In other words, how could I truly be a gracious and humble giver if I could not be a gracious and humble receiver. As a giver, was I secretly, albeit unaware, charging a small price or receiving a small reward for the gift? Likewise, if I felt that merely asking, burdened a possible giver; did I feel similarly burdened when I was asked to help. Or perhaps I judged that the giver would not have as generous a spirit as I would have; or would not be as honest with me (in their ability to help) as I felt I would have been with them.
Only, by learning how to receive could I truly understand how to give. I now realized the deeper meaning of Kung Fu quote: "Giving and receiving are different folds in the same piece of cloth." Beyond the obvious that without a receiver than cannot be a giver; a requirement to be a true giver is also willing to ask for help and graciously receive it. Giving and receiving are different folds in the same piece of cloth; neither makes one superior or inferior to another. It is more "blessed" to give than to receive (Acts 20:35 Christian Bible) does not suggest that "the giver is better than the receiver".
Send then, I have the privilege and joy of being able to give and receive help from those I love and others; and feel better about each.
Rhb
1:39:17 AM 
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