The article "On Receiving" by George S. Tate discusses what the verb "to receive" means. Tate asserts that "receiving" or "to receive" is often a very ambiguous verb that has a very large spectrum of activity or passivity. One can be very active in their receiving or very passive. For example, Tate describes how Laman and Lemuel in the Book of Mormon are very passive in the way they receive answers. They ask God superficial questions, therefore they in turn receive shallow answers that did not fully explain the doctrine of the gospel and many of its profound truths. On the other hand, Nephi is extremely active in the way that he receives information from God. Nephi asks God to show unto him what God showed his father Lehi. Instead of Nephi asking all the questions, the angels and visions that visit him ask him the questions and he receives a testimony and a knowledge of profound principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ through answering these questions for himself. Thus, we can be active in receiving a testimony and a full understanding of God's wonders.
Tate goes on further to say that there is a distinct difference between the verbs "to receive" and "to be given." An example of this is a book that you were given for your birthday as a gift from your aunt. You were quite indifferent to the book because it did not look interesting to you. Thus, you let its pages waste away in a crammed drawer in your bedroom until finally you sell it for a couple of dollars at a garage sale. You "were given" the book, but you did not "receive" it. To "receive" something typically requires more work/activity on the part of the receiver. For example, if you are given a pair of tap shoes and then you began tap lessons and then tap dancing becomes a huge passion in your life, then you have truly received that gift.
The most active we have to be in receiving a gift is receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost as Tate illustrates in his writing. When a priesthood holder blesses someone after baptism they always say, "receive the Holy Ghost," rather than "I bless you with the Holy Ghost." Tate explains that this is because God works through the priesthood holder to indirectly bestow this beautiful gift upon his child. Priesthood holders do not have the power to give someone this gift, only God does. Thus, since the gift of the Holy Ghost is an actual gift of God it must be "received" in its entirety. This can take a whole lifetime however. We need a welcoming heart and a desire for an increasing testimony in order to receive all the blessings of the gift of the Holy Ghost, little by little.
Our quest to fully "receive" the Holy Ghost and the spiritual promptings it ensues coincides with our quest for a BYU education. If we truly try to gain a full education of God's many wonders, we will attain confirmations through the spirit and thus better "receive" the gift of the Holy Ghost.
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What exactly does it mean to recieve the Holy Ghost? I don't know. I know we have to live worthy of the gift, but I think we can be living worthily and still not recieve it. Perhaps we are proud, or too focused on worldly things to recognize our need, or to frightened and lacking in faith. The biggest lesson I have learned since coming to
ReplyDeleteBYU is that I have earned many blessings that are just sitting around waiting for me to enjoy them.
I loved that he gave the example of recieving the Holy Ghost rather than being blessed with the Holy Ghost. That was a really cool and different way to think about that. This reminded me of the repentance process because you have to constantly be working to gain forgiveness, it doesn't just come when you ask for it, and in the end it is totally worth all the work.
ReplyDeleteWhat I loved about this article was the part where he discusses receiving our educations. We did come to this institution to learn. We came to get a degree, sure, but we also came to expand our knowledge of the world and the many working in it. I think it is a waste of your time, money and energy to leave this school having done the bare minimum, having just gotten through your classes, learning just enough to pass your classes. What a waste of all of the wonderful resources right at our fingertips! We are at one of the best educational facilities in the world! I am just amazed at the number of things that can be taught and learned here. I truly agree with Tate that we should be seeking learning, not just passing grades, now, and that we should seek learning for the rest of our lives.
ReplyDeleteAndrea, I really like what you said about the way we should recieve our education. I admit that I've been guilty of slipping into the "completing the bare minimun so I pass" phase these last couple of week. As the stress of school has been getting to me, I've slowly forgotten what I really came to BYU for - to recieve the invaluable gift of education. To recieve experiences I wouldn't anywhere else. Thank you for this article, I really needed to be reminded :)
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I have heard it said that learning is wicked unless it has an end in mind. That makes me mad, so I am going to take some time here to vent my correct rage. I like the reference to Br. Kimball's statement: "excitement . . . about the very nature" of truth. Sometimes, there is also an idea (maybe you have heard this in a couple of opening prayers during your stay here) that we need to learn these things so we can create worlds, etc. Once again, this sets me on edge. I believe that a mindset where learning is a means to some superior end will stop us from receiving a true and lasting education. While things that do not seem practical seem always to have some kind of creative practical application, there is another reason for learning, embodied in the very nature of wisdom.
ReplyDeleteThis may seem off topic, but once again, if you think so, you're wrong
It was really interesting for me to take a single word and pick it apart. I think that to receive in the active sense requires us to recognize the intent and motives of the giver. When we understand the love and sacrifice that goes into a gift, it will take on infinitely more meaning. We are, in a sense, receiving a part of them.
ReplyDeleteFor me, I struggle the most accepting complements. I usually brush them off, negate them, or try to apply them to someone else. This article made me realize that I need to really listen and appreciate the things people say to me, for them as well as for me. By doing so I will be able to truly receive.
I like this! I have never really thought about the difference between "to recieve" and "to be given" before. But, as I was reading through Victoria's comment, it reminded me of the talents that each of us have been blessed with. I guess we don’t really receive our talents that we were blessed with unless we USE them. We are taught that if we don’t use them, we will loose them. Developing our talents helps us to reach our full potential and gives us opportunities to use our talents to bless the lives of the people around us. I think it is amazing that we are taught to seek after these gifts and develop them because we all can do so much good in the world. How much better would this world be if each person would actually “receive” all their own unique talents and put them to use in this world.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the comments about doing only doing “the bare minimum” because we are here to receive an education. We are paying for it! We also know that one of things that we can take with us when we leave this earth is our education. I believe education is extremely important, and I think we should look at our classes that way. What can I do to get the most out of this class? How can I REALLY “receive” an education here at BYU?
I love how this article talks about the philosophy student needing to write a paper about the difference between “to kill” and “to let die”. It reminds me of the movie Wit. The main character is a professor of John Donne poetry at some university and lay in the hospital taking treatment for cancer. She talks of a time when a professor calls her in and gives her a reprimand for an essay given. She talks of how the different punctuation in the two editions, the one the professor preferred and the one that the main character used, was only in punctuation. She goes on to say that in the edition she prefers, death becomes a comma, a pause between life and life everlasting. I think that is so interesting as is the word receiving.
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