Gifts
Over the past four years, since my daughter's terrible accident, I have relied on my family for a lot. How truly blessed I am!..God really does cover us in every way. Today I was thinking over the last couple days and another one of God's lessons hit me right smack in the face. I love it when God refreshes his teachings for me and makes an impression again in my life. It is usually the same lesson just for a different reason. Today it is for praise!
My parents are ROCKS! Oh, they have many, many important gifts but today I was reminded how sturdy, strong, and steadfast they are. It doesn't matter what problem you are having they are that rock in the middle of the swirling, twirling, fast-moving rapids that you grab a hold to when the canoe tips over and climb to safety.
Then there are my sisters...again all my sisters have many gifts. Today what comes to mind is how cheerful my oldest sister is. When we talk on the weekend she gives me a "happy boost". When I have those weekend conversations I hang up and just feel brighter, everything after our talks seem sunnier. Then there is the sister that is just two years older than me...she is my "doer". She can tackle anything and I mean anything from painting to gardening to tango. She is the energizer bunny and she never seems to give out. Not only does she "do" everything well...she finishes the job, has all the "i's" dotted and "t's" crossed. And then there is my youngest sister. She is so adventuresome. She is ready and willing to go to new places, try new things, always up for an adventure. She will jump on an airplane or jump in a roller coaster and make them both seem like a trip to the nearest store. She seems fearless in her adventures. I don't know of anywhere she wouldn't go or anything that scares her...unlike myself!
In my immediate family my husband has, again, many gifts but today I am thinking about his problem solving skills. He has the wonderful ability of looking at problems as a challenge and he has had to stand up to many different challenges on behalf of his family. If the problem doesn't seem to have an obvious solution he digs and digs and digs until he uncovers the solution...no challenge is going to stop him! My son has the gift of tenderness. He is gentle and tender in his conversation with me and always steps lightly. Even the way he hugs is tender and loving. He brings out the tenderness in me. My daughter in law has a gift of humor! Again both my son and daughter in law have many gifts but don't you just love someone who is funny! She can respond with something witty before I can ever figure out what was said..:) She makes me laugh even when she is not with us. As for my daughter, she is all heart! She loves big and puts all she has into the people she loves. She will sacrifice anything for the people she loves and will fight to the end for them. Yep, her heart rules her! And her future husband...what can I say...he is one of the easiest going people I have ever met. He can roll with any of the punches and come out standing on both feet. And boy, in our life you have to be able to roll! Whatever the plan, whatever the circumstances he is right there...never causing any waves...easy and cooperative!
Are you asking why I am telling you all this!? I have looked at each of these people and others and thought, at one time or another, ummmm...how come God didn't make me a rock, little Miss Sunny, the perfectinist bunny, the adventurer, the problem solver, Mr. Tenderness, quick witted, all heart, or easy and cooperative? I think we all have, at one time or another compared ourselves to others. But the truth is God made each of us special and gives us gifts that are different. 1 Corinthians 7:7 "I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." He has a special plan for each one of us and our lives. He is going to take us each on a different journey as far as the people we marry, the friends we are going to have, the education and jobs we are going to be given...the life and service he will lead us into. And he has planned out that journey for us so he our gifts might be different. Think about it this way...an astronaut is going to take something different with him on the spaces shuttle compared to what a cross country trucker would need to take on his trip. It is not a matter of which job is more important, it is a matter of what the task is. What path God has designed for me is different from the path of my parents, sisters, husband and children. It is not more important or less important than what he has planned for anyone else just different so he has equiped us with different gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 "to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." And even though we have different gifts and different jobs to do we are all working for the same things...God's kingdom in heaven! So we are all using our gifts together for God's purpose. 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body".
God, thank you for the gifts that you have given us...the gifts that are alike and the gifts that are different. Thank you, dear Father, for showing us the gifts that others have and making them available in my life. And thank you for using all our gifts to work together in harmony for you and your kingdom. Praise to you for us being different parts but one body!
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms". 1 Peter 4:10
My parents are ROCKS! Oh, they have many, many important gifts but today I was reminded how sturdy, strong, and steadfast they are. It doesn't matter what problem you are having they are that rock in the middle of the swirling, twirling, fast-moving rapids that you grab a hold to when the canoe tips over and climb to safety.
Then there are my sisters...again all my sisters have many gifts. Today what comes to mind is how cheerful my oldest sister is. When we talk on the weekend she gives me a "happy boost". When I have those weekend conversations I hang up and just feel brighter, everything after our talks seem sunnier. Then there is the sister that is just two years older than me...she is my "doer". She can tackle anything and I mean anything from painting to gardening to tango. She is the energizer bunny and she never seems to give out. Not only does she "do" everything well...she finishes the job, has all the "i's" dotted and "t's" crossed. And then there is my youngest sister. She is so adventuresome. She is ready and willing to go to new places, try new things, always up for an adventure. She will jump on an airplane or jump in a roller coaster and make them both seem like a trip to the nearest store. She seems fearless in her adventures. I don't know of anywhere she wouldn't go or anything that scares her...unlike myself!
In my immediate family my husband has, again, many gifts but today I am thinking about his problem solving skills. He has the wonderful ability of looking at problems as a challenge and he has had to stand up to many different challenges on behalf of his family. If the problem doesn't seem to have an obvious solution he digs and digs and digs until he uncovers the solution...no challenge is going to stop him! My son has the gift of tenderness. He is gentle and tender in his conversation with me and always steps lightly. Even the way he hugs is tender and loving. He brings out the tenderness in me. My daughter in law has a gift of humor! Again both my son and daughter in law have many gifts but don't you just love someone who is funny! She can respond with something witty before I can ever figure out what was said..:) She makes me laugh even when she is not with us. As for my daughter, she is all heart! She loves big and puts all she has into the people she loves. She will sacrifice anything for the people she loves and will fight to the end for them. Yep, her heart rules her! And her future husband...what can I say...he is one of the easiest going people I have ever met. He can roll with any of the punches and come out standing on both feet. And boy, in our life you have to be able to roll! Whatever the plan, whatever the circumstances he is right there...never causing any waves...easy and cooperative!
Are you asking why I am telling you all this!? I have looked at each of these people and others and thought, at one time or another, ummmm...how come God didn't make me a rock, little Miss Sunny, the perfectinist bunny, the adventurer, the problem solver, Mr. Tenderness, quick witted, all heart, or easy and cooperative? I think we all have, at one time or another compared ourselves to others. But the truth is God made each of us special and gives us gifts that are different. 1 Corinthians 7:7 "I wish that all men were as I am. But each man has his own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that." He has a special plan for each one of us and our lives. He is going to take us each on a different journey as far as the people we marry, the friends we are going to have, the education and jobs we are going to be given...the life and service he will lead us into. And he has planned out that journey for us so he our gifts might be different. Think about it this way...an astronaut is going to take something different with him on the spaces shuttle compared to what a cross country trucker would need to take on his trip. It is not a matter of which job is more important, it is a matter of what the task is. What path God has designed for me is different from the path of my parents, sisters, husband and children. It is not more important or less important than what he has planned for anyone else just different so he has equiped us with different gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:10-11 "to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines." And even though we have different gifts and different jobs to do we are all working for the same things...God's kingdom in heaven! So we are all using our gifts together for God's purpose. 1 Corinthians 12:18-20 "But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body".
God, thank you for the gifts that you have given us...the gifts that are alike and the gifts that are different. Thank you, dear Father, for showing us the gifts that others have and making them available in my life. And thank you for using all our gifts to work together in harmony for you and your kingdom. Praise to you for us being different parts but one body!
"Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms". 1 Peter 4:10
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