Hello God, it's me, Mara

You know, Lord, sometimes hearing a theme, then reading that same theme the same day in a devotional, that’s truly amazing.

So — there we were, listening to a remarkable list of talents/special gifts that You give to us Lord, knowing that not every one of us gets the same gift. We knew about gifts of prophesy, serving others, teachers, preachers, being generous, helping others and so on.

As Pastor mentioned those plus a few other gifts, faces of folks flashed across our mind. For instance, long ago we knew Mom and Auntie had the gift of hospitality.

The gift of prayer is unmistakable in a few folks we’ve known throughout our lives. We might not know personally someone with the ability to perform acts that surpass natural laws, but friends have shared about “one” they knew who had that gift. They and we  have also met some astounding folks who are evangelists. Long ago, several cousins fit that role as they “served” in Africa. Once they returned to the mainland, they’ve now taken on the role of shepherding and teaching in and around where they live. Oh, we could go on and on.

Each gift has a purpose as You, Lord, have given gifts to us for Your pleasure. We need to keep that in mind; it’s an important point as we live in a culture of comparison and judgment. We must be aware that we either validate or invalidate our gifts based upon others around us. Lord, help us to wrestle with the unique way that You have created us, and know that Your grace has given us a gift that no one else has. Help us not to hide our gift under a basket!

Thank You for the reminder found in Romans 12:6a — “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.”

Love, Mara