Reflecting Christ: Grace Gifts

 

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up  Ephesians 4:11-12

 Imagine for a moment, an endless line of people in a factory making widgets. Yep, you have to use your imagination because a widget isn’t a real thing, but stick with me here. Everyone is making widgets, but there’s no one to box them up, or put them on a truck, or drive them to a store, or work in a store to sell them, or anyone to buy them for that matter, because everyone is just making widgets. Maybe a widget maker is the best, coolest job ever, but if everyone is a widget maker, their job is meaningless because no one is enjoying the widgets they make!

 God has given us each gifts. They are personalized to who we are, because God made us so He knows exactly which gift will be used best by us. They are also personalized for what He has called us to do. He knows our lives and what we will do and where we will go, and He knows what gifts will be necessary for that. He also knows the particular personality traits He has imbued in us and what gifts balance those and leverage them as well. He is the perfect author and designer! But, because He has made each of us different, each of our gifts are different as well. You might look at someone’s beautiful painting and think, “I wish I could paint like that.” But that same person might look at the book you wrote and think, “I wish I could write like that.” Truly, we can appreciate others’ gifts while still respecting our own.

 On that note, those gifts we have – yeah, they’re not for us. Someone’s gift of speaking or writing or art, they aren’t just for their personal benefit or to build themselves up. Gifts are for giving! They are meant to build up others, to bless the Body of Christ.

 I mentioned not too long ago that my primary calling in life is as a wife and a mom, AKA an appendix. When my kids moved out, I thought that part of my life was over, that they didn’t need me anymore. Through some rather difficult circumstances, I’ve had the blessing of being able to use that “Mom” gift over the last couple of weeks. Turns out, it’s still there and it still works. But, again, that gift is not for me. The “Mom” gift is for comforting, strengthening and supporting my kids.

 As I look at my life, I would also identify writing as a gift that God has given me. That one is a blessing for me as well. It’s how I process life and deal with so much. It gives me the opportunity to express the myriad thoughts in my head. Without it, I’m afraid I’d go batty! But, I hope and believe that it is a blessing to others as well. As I write, and put it out there, others can see it and know they are not alone. They can hear things from a slightly different perspective. Perhaps they’ll even get a little tip on how to best set up their cruise cabin!

Here's the Thing: Am I an apostle? No, I don’t think so. A prophet? No, that’s my husband. A teacher? Probably. I taught my kids and their friends through homeschooling for 15 years, taught Christian Yoga for several years, and now, I’d like to think I do a form of teaching through this blog. I have a lot of gifts that God has graced me with for the circumstances that He has placed me in. So do you! What ways has God gifted you to bless the world?