The Gift

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.   1 Peter 4:10 NIV

“You’ve been given a gift,” I said.  The blank stare and motionless lips were all I needed to see.  Clearly the thought was foreign to the hearer. 

I had spent a significant amount of time listening, and silently praying for just the right words to share, and in the process learned of a gift sitting dormant.  My friend said, “I am gifted,” whispered almost as a question.  This talent was as natural as breathing air.  Some admired it while others competed with it.  Yet I wondered how the world might be enhanced by it.

We had talked about tasks, progress, and life in general, including the heaviness of loss and love.  I learned more about this acquaintance than meets the eye and found some common ground.  A recent trip overseas had ended and life would soon return to its normal routines – hopefully.  But heaviness hung in the air as the recent loss of a spouse was settling over the heart and soul before me. 

The conversation rolled around in my head long after it ended.  I considered the many experiences we have in life yet never disclose to others traveling the same road.  I thought about how our culture seemingly accepts only cordial exchanges and pleasantries and often denies people the time and space to process setbacks. 

I thought about the skills and talents many develop in quiet hidden places yet may have little, if any, opportunities to share them.  Yet the gift had always been there for this one.  It flowed naturally.  But I could see that it was not a possession for prideful display.  So, I said, “You’ve been given a gift,” and hoped to imply there is a reason, a purpose for its beautiful expression.  

We all come with some pre-wiring, if you will.  Personality traits, thought processes, natural abilities and such make up who we are and sometimes guide our decisions.  Yet I believe these pre-dispositions fit into the world around us like puzzle pieces.  We are individually given something for our benefit but also for the benefit of those around us.  And the path of life is a road of discovery. 

So as we consider what we might have to share with one another, let us remember the words recorded for our guidance:

If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.  1 Corinthians 13:2 NIV

Rather than reveling in our gifts and abilities, let us seek to learn the way of love, learning to share our gifts and thereby enrich the world around us.

Follow the way of love …  1 Corinthians 14:1 NIV

He is the greatest gift we could ever receive.  A gift offered but not received is of little benefit for the one to whom it was sent.  So, let us receive Him, follow Him, learn to be like Him, and enjoy His gift of life to us as we share the gifts He has given us.

Reflective Resource:  The resource below is suggested for your continued growth and encouragement.

How Can I Swim Without My Seahorse? is a 21-day, five minute devotional where the mysterious underwater world of seahorses lends parallels to our spiritual development. The pre-dawn dance of seahorses is a daily ritual occurring between these mysterious creatures much like our daily quiet time to seek Jesus. Plunge into their deep underwater existence and observe these elusive creatures in the depths of imagination then resurface to appreciate the need of a pre-dawn dance with the lover of your soul.

 … from the womb of the dawn you will receive the dew of your youth. Psalm 110:3

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