When Blessings Go Both Ways

A few weeks ago, I met a friend for breakfast. She had just had a baby, and I thought it would be a wonderful opportunity to bless her and help her get out of the house.

When I arrived, she was unloading everything from the car. We walked into the restaurant and quickly settled at our table. Her baby slept peacefully in the stroller beside us while others chatted and enjoyed their breakfast.

As soon as we got our menus, my friend surprised me by saying she wanted to pay for our meal. At first, I hesitated and insisted on paying. After all, I was there for her—I wanted to help her through the challenging newborn stage. But she explained that she wanted to pay as a way of saying thank you for the food I had brought her while she was recovering from delivery. Reluctantly, I agreed, though I still felt unsure about letting her pay.

She then shared something someone had told her: when we don’t allow others to bless us, we might be robbing them of the opportunity to be obedient to a calling God has placed on their hearts. That struck me, because I had told my husband the same thing just a few months earlier. I shared this story with my friend, and it led us into a deeper conversation.

A few months earlier, a storm had caused a tree to fall on our roof. Thankfully, the damage was only external, but we didn’t have the resources to remove the tree ourselves. The next morning, my husband called a tree removal company we’d used before. They came out quickly and quoted us a hefty—but fair—price to get the tree off our roof. As soon as the man left, our neighbor came over and offered to help us remove the tree.

My husband struggled with whether or not to accept our neighbor’s help. We had only recently gotten to know them, having been to their home for dinner a few weeks earlier. He didn’t want to inconvenience them, especially since they had their own storm damage to deal with. He was willing to pay the high cost just to avoid putting our neighbors out. I reminded him that we could be robbing our neighbors of the blessing of helping others in need. Somehow, in just a few short months, I had forgotten that conversation—clearly, God wanted to remind me and used my friend to do it.

Reflecting on these experiences, my friend and I began discussing the possible negative effects of not letting someone bless us. When we say no to someone’s kindness, we take away their opportunity to be obedient and to be a blessing. It is important to consider how the giver might feel when their generosity is refused , and how that disappointment could discourage them from blessing others in the future.

On the other hand, allowing someone to bless us can create a domino effect, inspiring them to help others and spreading kindness even further. When people feel seen and cared for, they’re often moved to do the same for others. When we allow people to bless us, we are allowing God to move in our lives. When we receive blessings from others, it is a way for us to see that God cares. He cares so much that he sent one of his own to help us.

As our conversation shifted, my friend encouraged me to pursue one of my passions—something I’ve been afraid to chase. She reminded me that God had placed this desire on my heart and urged me to go after it.

By the end of breakfast, I realized that I had received two blessings from this amazing friend. The person I came to bless was actually blessing me with the exact encouragement I needed.

This made me reflect: How differently might the rest of the meal have gone if I had let my own pride keep me from receiving her blessing? Would my friend have been as encouraging? Would our conversation have felt stilted? Would she have wanted to continue spending time together?

Have there been times in your life when you didn’t accept a blessing from someone, or when someone didn’t accept a blessing from you? How did it make you feel?

As we go about our days—whether we’re planning to bless someone or someone is trying to bless us—let’s remember that God is always at work for our good. He may be working in us, in someone else, or in both. The only way to truly receive is to keep our hearts open to receive the gifts He has for us.