I have been absent for awhile now. There’s many reasons for which I will explain later but for now, here’s my recent thoughts:
I have had the privilege of being a part of many congregations in my life. It’s not what I would have specifically chosen for myself or for uprooting my children, but nevertheless it is what it is. These experiences have taught me a lot of things for which I am thankful. I don’t know where my schoolmates are. I haven’t stayed in touch with friends I grew up with. While feeling “different” and wistfully sad about this from time to time, God has used these experiences that I have been privileged to have for His service. God gives assignments to us, and then he equips us with what we need to accomplish it. He also gives spiritual gifts to be used for His specific purposes. I cannot be envious of another person’s combination of capabilities, I can only strive to give mine to God to use as He sees fit. An eye cannot say to the foot, because you are not an eye, you are not part of the body, or useful to the body. (I Corinthians 12) it is therefore MY responsibility to follow what pleases the Father, not what would please me, or someone else. Some of us tend to think we are not as useful or worth as much as others because our talents and gifts aren’t like someone else’s. Others think that ones unlike themselves aren’t as useful to the body as they are. Both are wrong. Rick Warren puts it this way: two common problems are “gift envy” and “gift projection”. The first occurs when we compare our gifts with other’s, feel dissatisfied with what God gave us, and become resentful or jealous of how God uses others. The second problem happens when we expect everyone else to have our gifts, do what we are called to do, and feel as passionate About it as we do. The Bible says, “There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Lord we are serving.” WOW. How true this is. I’ve seen it over and over in many churches.
While we are thinking about this season of gifts, let’s not dis-appreciate God’s gifts to us, but let us use them as He intended, for His purpose. We are made for a purpose! Let’s not look at our neighbor and covet their gifts, but neither can we afford to think others should be doing things like we do. God needs them all, not for our individual benefit, but for one another.