Can You Receive My Gift?

by Theresa Maguire | Updated on April 24, 2024 | Published on May 31, 2021

My Dear Friend,

I wrote this story back in Aug 16, 2012.  The experience truly changed how I saw myself and the world around me.

Here we are in 2021, and there is so much uncertainty and fear about what the future holds.  As I share this story again, my hope is that you will see we have choice to create the future we desire.  We all have the Power within to make a difference. 

Can You Receive My Gift?

I had been asking how I could be a contribution to the world, thinking I had to have a unique message or lots of money or an amazing product to make a difference.  But the Universe showed me that isn’t true.

It was just a typical Monday with appointments and errands, but a Monday that would forever “change” my life so undeniably that I never saw myself or the world around me the same way again.

For way too long, I had been ignoring messages from the UNIVERSE, pretending it didn’t matter and that I had nothing worth sharing. I hadn’t been trusting my inner voice because I didn’t believe  that one person, “me” really could change anything.

On this Monday, I realized I was wrong.

Why was that Monday any different?

Because I made a series of different choices that took me down a different path …. and, in doing so, the Universe presented me with a different way of experiencing reality.

As I completed my errands and was on my way home, I kept hearing that voice in my head. Stop at the gas station, it said. But, my car still had plenty of gas so I argued with my inner voice. It’s not urgent, I can get gas later, I rationalized. 

However, the message was persistent and unrelenting … so I chose to listen and pulled into the gas station. I made a different choice.

I was present to hearing the message and had the courage to follow the guidance.

When I had finished filling the car’s gas tank, I didn’t drive off right away; instead, I took a few minutes to write down some thoughts before scurrying off. 

I became aware that I was being present in the moment.

It was then that a man walked over to my car.  When I rolled down my window, he asked if he could wash my window for some change to put gas in his car.

I replied that I didn’t have any money in my wallet and he politely said, “That’s okay” and walked away. I watched as he asked two other people who also said no.

Why was no one was willing to help this man?  He wasn’t even begging. He was willing to work in exchange for the money. 

As I sat in my car watching him return to his car defeated, yet not ready to give up, I realized I had a choice. I could either leave and go on with my day pretending that I couldn’t help, or I could choose to make a difference in this man’s world.

I made a different choice. I chose to be the “change.”

And, once this choice was made, the Universe had my back, there was no questioning what to do or what to say, there was no judgment of my choice. There was only awareness that the choice I was making was profound on so many levels.

I didn’t choose to help this man because it was the right thing to do. I didn’t choose to help this man because I thought I was doing a good deed.

No, I chose to help this man because I could. The Universe had delivered me to that gas station at that precise time to teach me one of the biggest lessons of my life.

I don’t need to search for my gift that is going to change the world, I am the gift!

As I watched this man and stayed aware and present in the experience, I received the greatest gift ever. I realized that he never asked me for money, he asked me for change.

“Wow” I thought, “I teach people tools to change their lives”. What an awareness!

In that moment, I realized it wasn’t only about putting gas in his car. He needed someone who would listen to his story and show him they cared. He needed someone to believe in him and that he cold change his life around.

So, instead of driving out of the gas station, I pulled up next to his car and rolled down my window.

I made a different choice – I chose to be vulnerable by stepping out of my comfort zone.

I asked him if would share his story. And he explained that he had lost his job and he was living in his car.

He shared that he had learned new skills and was looking for work, but everyone told him he needed a year of experience.

I asked him how much gas he needed.  He said whatever I could spare.

“Wow!” I thought, “Whatever I could spare? He is the one living in his car. I have a job and I get to go home in a few minutes and sleep in a bed tonight.”

While it was true I didn’t have any money in my wallet, I could still help.

As I ran my credit card through the pump, he asked, “When do I stop?” To which I responded, “When the tank is full.” He looked at me in disbelief.

As the pump was nearing $29, he looked at me and said, “I will stop at $30.” T which I replied, “No, pump gas until the tank is full.”

He just stared at me in complete disbelief and I could tell from his bewildered look that it was difficult for him to receive.  I asked, “Can you receive my gift?” After a moment he said, “Yes” and he smiled.  

So often we ask for help, but when it arrives we aren’t able to receive it.

This was the beginning of an amazing conversation! I shared with him how he could choose a different way of thinking about his life.

That he did not have to decide that this was just the way his life was going to be. That he could decide not to think he was stuck in his current situation with no way out.

I made a different choice – I choose to share my gift honestly and completely without fear that he would judge me.

I shared that he was one with all that is and the Universe really wanted to help him.  That because he was asking for change, the Universe had made our paths cross.

That while it was true, I didn’t have any cash on me, I had changeif he was willing to receive it.  And, I shared three questions that could help bring change to his life if he was willing to ask them, “What else is possible? How does it get better than this? What will it take to find a job?”

I didn’t leave until I knew he had received the message that I was guided to deliver.  When his face changed, I knew he got it. All I felt was sheer joy for choosing to listen to my inner guidance and take action.

We change the world by the choices we make.

All the planning for someday doesn’t matter in this moment.  The only thing that matters right now is what we choose to be and do.

I could have chosen to judge him, which would have only led me to judge myself.

 I could have chosen to ignore the Universe and detach from the oneness we all are. 

But, I didn’t; I chose differently. I chose to listen to my heart and treat a stranger how I would hope to be treated if I ever found myself in the same situation. 

While I may never know the rest of the story this man chose to create for his life, I do know that I was his friend when he needed a friend. If only for those 10 minutes when I listened to him, gave him hope, and re-ignited his faith in his future. 

I also wonder who was really changed more that Monday, me or him.

I received so much clarity from my earth Angel that day. He showed me that in letting go of what I feared (being judged by others), making different choices, and trusting in my awareness and guidance, my gifts truly did change at least two people that day. And in that moment in time that was ENOUGH.

My dear friend, what gifts are you hiding that the world truly needs you to share?

Big Hugs,
Theresa

My dear friend I believe that when we are aligned with our soul calling we will thrive in every aspect of our human experience. I help women reconnect with their authenticity, know their truth, master a loving mindset, and make themselves a priority in their lives.  Because when you let go of how you've been defined you'll uncover who you truly are.