Receiving Grace

The love of God and man we understood not at all. Therefore we remained self-deceived, and so incapable of receiving enough grace to restore us to sanity. ~ Twelve Steps and Twelve Traditions, Alcoholics Anonymous, page 31.

Grace, the gift of God,
unasked for, undeserved,
without catches or gotchas.
So how can it not be received?
"Incapable of receiving enough grace"
seems illogical, impossible,
a puzzlement.
A gift. How does a gift happen?
Is the giving what makes it so?
Can it be a gift if refused, if disdained,
if ignored? If I do not possess the largesse
at the transaction's end
maybe a gift was given (the intent there)
but not received (choice here)
and without changing the giver's kindness
the would-be receiver stands giftless.