Gifting

A word about, Gifting.

My wife has already started asking me. It’s early fall, and she asked me just a couple of days ago about Christmas ideas for our six grandkids. Four girls, two boys. She said the girls aren’t hard for me, but the boys are harder. I’m not sure what to give them. You have any ideas? One grandson’s fourteen, the other’s nineteen. One just started high school and the other started college. Different stages, different challenges. My first inclination would be get them get them each a pair of socks and a gift card and call that good. But I doubt seriously that my idea will resonate with my wife. What to give someone we love can be a serious matter. Some thoughtful parents give their children handmade gifts. They’ve thought about the child and they want to give something meaningful, perfect fit for that child’s uniqueness. It’s that way with God too, I think. In Romans 12 and again in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul lists gifts that God gives believers. Over the past several weeks, I’ve had numerous conversations about spiritual gifts. I’ve been somewhat amazed at the number of people who cannot bring to the front of their minds what their spiritual gifts might be. In fact, the most common answers are I don’t know, and I’m not sure. I virtually never accept those answers as proof of ignorance. I think we do know what our gift from God is, and we can be sure of that. If there’s a mystery, it’s because we haven’t given ourselves permission to acknowledge what we see as outcomes and what we hear from others who observe our lives. Ever hear someone say they aren’t talented? That all they can do is, quote, just cook, or they can’t get in front of people and talk. All they can do is, quote, just set up chairs and tables so people will have a place to sit and listen? They’re not looking at their lives correctly. Cooking is not just cooking. For those with a gift, it’s a demonstration of the gift of serving. Setting up chairs or helping a neighbor with a project is an expression of the gift of helps. I can fry an egg, but there’s a world of difference between that and nurturing people through what I prepare. I can set up a room, but I don’t have a spiritual gift that urges and equips me to always be on the lookout for ways to serve. That that’s a gift. My own gifts are wisdom and encouragement. I know that because of what I believe the Lord has revealed to me. Because others have affirmed and confirmed what they see in my life. And that’s a good place to begin looking for your own gifts. What do people think when they think of you? What do people thank you for? What happens in their lives because you’ve been there? Pay attention to those answers. Be careful about putting the word just in front of something God just gave you. Peter tells us to use whatever gift we’ve received to serve others. That meal you prepared, that afternoon you spent helping, those words of encouragement that you spoke, God uses those things to care for people He loves. My wife wants our grandsons to open their Christmas gifts and find something they’ll use, something chosen with them in mind. Well, God has chosen with all of us in mind, too. He knows how he made us, and he knows the people whose lives will be touched when we use what he’s given us. Never doubt your gifting. Because of God’s sovereign goodness through Jesus, you have something perfect to give. No need to say I’m not sure. God’s given his perfect gifts to you, because God created them just for you. And somebody in your life needs your gift, a gift that God Himself has placed in your hands.