A couple of weeks ago I had a client make a comment that made me think about the praise and gifts we give people. He was in a drive thru with his father-in-law and the car in front of him had paid their bill. As they drove away his father-in-law made a comment, “shoot, we forgot to pay for the car behind us.” and felt guilt for not doing so. To which my client replied, “it was a gift, no strings attached…be gracious and accept it.”
I think many people are this way. We sometimes deflect talking about ourselves, we want to ‘pay it forward’ and praise others when we have things go our way. Be it pride or humility we feel a need to pay that debt back and fail to accept these gifts and praise with grace.
As we are in the gift giving season let’s remember that the best gifts we give and receive are the ones that are unconditional, no strings attached. The ones you cannot begin to repay or be repaid. The gifts that don’t carry a price tag or come wrapped in a box. Be thankful for these gifts and accept them with grace. Merry Christmas to you and yours!