There seems to be a tendency to artificially segment our lives into sacred and secular compartments. Assigning a higher value to religious, church things than ordinary living events is a common mistake Christians make. Gifts that are manifest in the organized church seem to be elevated to the sacred and therefore the Holy. Powerful preaching, melodious singing, church administration and other visible acts are welcomed and applauded, while gifts manifest in everyday life go un-named, un-noticed and under -valued. This evaluation of the sacred over the secular is a disservice to the Kingdom.
I have a friend who has the gift of kindness or loving kindness. This is how that gift is manifest in her life. For a long as I can remember, she has sent birthday, bereavement, anniversary, and graduation cards to literally hundreds of friends and church members. She always includes a dollar bill in each card. Although receiving a card with a dollar in it seems juvenile at best, all her friends express delight at receiving their “card from Wilma.”
When my sister died, Wilma sent my mother several cards of comfort. It touched Mama’s heart. She said, “I didn’t know Wilma cared so much.” Many people showed acts of kindness to my family during this difficult period after my sister’s untimely death, but Mama talked about Wilma’s cards, an ordinary act motivated by love turned into something extraordinary. “Kind” is not a throw away word. Love and kindness together truly is a balm for the soul. People who show simple acts of kindness do not get mentioned in the church bulletin or lauded from the pulpit, but God notices.
Another friend, Saundra is a member of several organizations, the choir, Bible study, sorority, etc. She organizes documents exceptionally well; she seems to keep everything and is able to locate it upon demand. Her document organization skill is a great help when it is important to recall what happened in a particular situation. I taught Bible study for about 15 years and Saundra was a participant and integral part of much of my teaching experience. She can produce almost everything that was taught in that time frame, so I started calling her our historian. She demonstrates this trait in other organizations in which she is a member and they use her like their historian too. This is a task she did voluntarily, no one asked her to do it. This ability at first glance seems ordinary and can easily go unnoticed. But in practice, it is a very essential factor in the efficient management of an organization. When a name is assigned to what she does, “historian”, it is anything but ordinary.
Because these things are not directly related to the church we tend to think they are not of God…that they don’t contribute to Kingdom Building. They do. It is important to discern the hand of God in ordinary things. In fact, that is where He is most active.
This is my definition of a spiritual gift: it is the special ability to build up the kingdom of God by whatever means necessary in any situation presented. The most ordinary, mundane task becomes extraordinary in the hands of God.
Today’s Prayer
Dear God, Please help me to be sensitive to other people’s needs and feelings. Help me to love them and encourage them through special touches, like remembering special occasions through phone calls, prayers, notes, cards, visits, even gifts at times. Help me to always make other people feel special and valued, for they are all your creation and deserve to be valued. I pray that through my words and actions, you will be glorified and lifted up and people will be drawn unto You. In Jesus’ name, amen. (Taken from Prime Time With God, TGIF (Today God is First).
Others went out on the sea in ships; they were merchants on the mighty waters. They saw the works of the Lord…. – Psalm 107:23-24a