Making the Most of God's Gifts
Making the Most of God's Gifts By Patrice Fagnant-MacArthur
At this time of year, it is only natural to think of gifts.
Gift-giving is a treasured part of Christmas. While we may not
enjoy fighting the crowds at the mall or trying to think of a
creative new present for the person who has everything, most of
us do try to give gifts that will show our loved ones how much
we care for them. We may even be wishing for a certain special
something with our own name on it this holiday season.
But what about the gifts that God has given us? How often do we
pay attention to those? Are we like the servants in Matthew 25
who take their talents and invest them in order to reap a rich
reward, or are we the foolish servant who takes his talent and
buries it?
God has blessed each of us with a selection of gifts perfectly
suited to who we are and the role we are to play in this world.
Sometimes it can be so easy to focus on what we don't have,
rather on what we do. We may look at someone else and wish that
we had her gifts. How often have we looked longingly at other
people and thought, "If only I had her brains, her ability to
give, her way with people, her artistic ability, her athletic
ability, her patience, her strength to stand up for what she
believes in, etc.?" That gets us nowhere.
Rather, let us take a look at what gifts God has given us. Try
this exercise. Take out a sheet of paper and begin to list your
special talents. You may have obvious ones - such as being able
to sing well or play the piano. Perhaps you are good at numbers,
or good with your hands. Maybe you can teach well or market a
product better than anyone you know. Now, think beyond the
obvious. Are you kindhearted? Forgiving? A good listener? Able
to make people laugh? These, too, are gifts, and through them we
can make great contributions to this world. Lastly, ask
yourself, "How can I build on these natural gifts that I have
been given? How can I better utilize them to make a difference
in someone's life?"
The wonderful thing is that no matter our age or our health or
our financial situation, we all have something to give to this
world. Just this weekend, our pastor celebrated an elderly woman
in our parish who had spent the summer knitting 120 pairs of
mittens for the poor in our community! What an amazing gift! She
truly put her gift to use for God's kingdom. On the opposite end
of the age spectrum, a young child can give a hug or make
someone a picture and totally make another person's day.
We all matter. In God's plan, we all have a part. This
Christmas, while we are busy buying and making tangible gifts,
let's also take a closer look at the gifts that God has given,
and grace the world with all that we have to offer.