We’ve been taught our strength is for bringing life and goodness to others. And rightly so. But what’s often missed is the strength also needed to receive. While we freely give and have a clear understanding for this, we’re functionally illiterate in letting others pour back into us – making the act of receiving threatening to our sense of self
Of course, we understand every good and perfect gift comes from God, that he’s the ultimate source of life, and that apart from him we can do nothing. But in practice we often live as if life is dependent on us. Relying on others seems immature, weak, and irresponsible.
To be sure, there are times in which this is the case. God made us as men. And part of our masculine duty is to reflect God’s generative and generous nature in the world around us. And we’re missing the mark when we live entitled – expecting others to do for us while we refuse to live by the sweat of our brow.
All the same, this does not mean we can live with a radical independence, as if we never needed to lean on the strength of others. God has placed us in a body – each member supporting the rest while also remaining responsible to the work and calling given to him.
And it’s in this way that we must remember to practice receiving. Not because we’re blowing it or that something is wrong with us, but simply because this is how God has designed life in his world to work.
For many of us, this has become an underdeveloped muscle, which invites much unnecessary heartache and increases our risk of being taken out. When we refuse to let others carry us, the long-term cost is burnout, resentment, and slow drift into isolation. Our danger is not in giving too much, but in refusing to let our trusted others be there for us when it matters.
Your formation comes not only through learning how to offer your strength, but also in learning how to let strength come back to you, without having to justify your right to receive it. We become men of true strength when we learn not only to give freely, but also to receive fully.
