Wednesday, February 14, 2007

To feed and to be fed

My last post and the neat discussion it led to has led me to this one: If we are to give, if we are to feed others, we ourselves need to be fed. If we are to listen to others, we also need to have someone listen to us. If we are to give bread, we have to have bread to give.

Many good givers exhaust themselves of resources by not letting others give to them. They're good at what they do, but there are times when they need to allow themselves to receive as well. And it's best for them to receive, not feeling that they're a burden, but with a spirit of gratitude. This is often hard to do, especially for the big givers.

I am a writer. But I can't write well without opening my mind to what others are saying and writing. Reading (feeding myself) is important to me if I am to write (feed others).

I like to help others. I want to love others, as Jesus commanded us to do. But if I am to do that well, I need to feed on God's love. I need to ask God to fill me with his love and then I'm better able to share that love with others. I need to help others; I also need people to help me.

As Dream Writer has alluded to in some of the comments she made on my last post, it takes two kinds of people to make our circle of friendships complete: the ones who we can support and the ones who will replenish us by supporting us. We need to do both: to feed and be fed.

(I hear Dream Writer is going to be writing a book on this topic.:-)

6 comments:

jumpinginpuddles said...

often people who support dont know how to recieve support back

TayMachelle said...

Marja-

I wanted to send her something to give her hope- honestly- I just typed in "Inspirational Poems for Those with Cancer" in Google- and it popped up. There were lots of great sites of hope to those with cancer- but that poem just stuck out to me,

Machelle

Bleeding Heart said...

You're so funny, Marja...will you be Co-Writer? :)

Great post and I Totally agree and I am glad that you understood my post when I wrote it...I felt that my thoughts were jumbled.

Yes, we need to feed as well as be fed..But some Feed to others and they don't get fed...Some are fed but don't feed..LOL!!!

Gosh!! Does Lithium do this to you? :)

shebee said...

Marja,
I have been reading the last couple of posts you wrote and have read the comments for them too. I feel like everything that needed to be said/shared/debated was said, so I'm at a bit of a loss for words. Very interesting.

marja said...

jumpinginpuddles: What you say is true. We would just hope that they would be able to keep giving with a willing spirit. And that they are fed by something else - if not by people, by God.

Machelle: That was such a beautiful poem. It truly touched me.

dream: Your comments were very well written. I understood them perfectly.

shebee: Thanks for reading. I hope you took my comments on your blog as being from someone who cares for you. Love you - marja

shebee said...

I did Marja, thank you