Relationships consist of balance and it is important to remember that being on the receiving end of affection, love and generosity is equally vital for stability as is giving of yourself. Many women have felt and/or heard they are the one who always gives in love. Perhaps you have been told the man in your life now or in the past does not deserve you for all the sacrifices you make in the relationship.
Women generally have an innate nurturing nature, especially in relationships and want to shower the man in their life with affection, attention, gifts, little notes, cooking, cleaning and simply anything that will make his life better. Women can become so enamored with feelings of gratitude for being in a relationship that it becomes easy to gloss over the motivation for that generosity.
If you tend to draw relationships that place you by your own maneuvering into the role of giver and never receiver, the following are points I encourage you to examine to test the real motivation for being comfortable only as a giver.
What behaviors and mindsets alert women to excessive giving in love?
I feel worthy of love when I give. Somewhere in the past is a core belief that you are not worthy of love and do not feel you alone are enough to justify your position in a relationship. It is important that you examine the first time you felt this way and work through that particular barrier to vulnerability. I feel guilty when he gives me anything. If you have thoughts of not being deserving of reciprocal treatment by the man in your life, you know there is a problem with your perception of your worth and value. I love his admiration and unconditional love. Coming to the rescue from doing his laundry to running errands, to cooking and cleaning when he has not specifically asked you for these favors should be a sign you are crossing personal boundaries. My needs can wait. This mindset
leaves you in an unequal relationship. In a passive manner, you are taking control by placing the one you love in your debt. You are trying to make him feel he could not possibly live without you because of all the countless things you do for him. Because you desire unconditional love and admiration from your over-giving, you never know if you are loved for the person God made you to be or for everything you do for him.