Wed., Nov. 28, 2018

1 Corinthians 12:8-10 – To some people the Spirit gives a message of wisdom. To others the same Spirit gives a message of knowledge. To others the same Spirit gives faith. To others that one Spirit gives gifts of healing. To others he gives the power to do miracles. To others he gives the ability to prophesy. To others he gives the ability to tell the spirits apart. To others he gives the ability to speak in different kinds of languages they had not known before. And to still others he gives the ability to explain what was said in those languages.

I did not receive the spiritual gift of being crafty.

I believe this. I know it. I am aware of my limits when it comes to all-things-crafty.

So, what made me think that I should sign-up for a sign painting party?

My friend Tracy.

While in college, I belonged to a woman’s organization called Association of Women in Agriculture or AWA. I have SO MANY fond memories of AWA. I lived in the AWA houses for two years. My bestest college friends were involved in AWA. These are the ladies continue to be important people in my life.

When the current college students invited alumni to participate in a sign painting night, my AWA friend Tracy contacted several friends and encouraged us to join her. Without thinking this through, I signed-up. Had I paused long enough to realize my non-existant crafty gene would need to surface, I might have skipped out.

When an e-mail came asking me to pick a board and a design, I still didn’t feel too far outside of my comfort zone. I could do these things. Thankfully, someone else prepared the patterns to put on the boards. All I had to do was paint some letters, right?

Wrong.

I found a Christmas-themed sign that I liked. It fits the décor of my house and didn’t seem too complicated. I envisioned creating the sign in like an hour followed up with time to chat.

This is not exactly how it turned out. Remember, I don’t have the spiritual gift of craftiness.

When we arrived, our chosen board laid next to our chosen pattern. My board was natural colored. I wanted a black background. My first step was to paint the entire board. Just before I began to paint, Tracy arrived. She also knows that craftiness is not her spiritual gift and opted to make this purely a social outing. Not wanting her to sit out of all the fun, I recruited her to help me. Two non-crafty people would be better than one non-crafty person, right?

Thank goodness we were next to some college students who are blessed with the crafty gene. They became our trusted guides.

Ultimately, Tracy and I knew painting a sign was not the highest priority of the night. Creating a sign was purely a vehicle by which college students and alumni could hang out together. Highlights of the night: seeing my friend, meeting college students and alumni I did not know while sharing a couple hours with other women interested in agriculture.

Tracy and I puttered away on my sign, chatting about lots of things as we worked. When we hit a topic that peaked the interest of the college girls, they chimed in. Tracy and I enjoyed hearing their perspectives on a topic, often different from our, uhm, mid-life points of view.

Because of the black background, my sign required a bit more work. Eventually, finishing the sign took the effort of a village. Tracy and I recruited Cierra to help us. As everyone else was tearing down tables, cleaning brushes and putting paint away, we were still working on my board. Cierra has more of the crafty gift in her little finger than I have in my entire body. She was the perfect assistant.

Several times, the New Testament lists various spiritual gifts. One example is found in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. Read the list again. See what gift is not listed? The gift of being crafty.

Amazingly, God gifted each one of us with very special and unique spiritual gifts. Your spiritual gifts are not the same as mine. Thank goodness we don’t all have the same gifts. This would lead to a very boring world!

When we feel we do not have a particular spiritual gift, does this give us permission to shy away from participating in something which utilitzies this spiritual gift? Absolutely not! Humbling ourselves to discover something new can be meaningful. We become clearer about what our spiritual gifts are. It allows others to use their spiritual gifts for our benefit. It helps us keep perspective and know none of us have all the necessary spiritual gifts.

Each sign turned out unique and special, just as the spiritual gifts we have are unique and special. Rather than become frustrated when we lack a spiritual gift, may we celebrate and affirm the gifts God has blessed us with. Over time, our spiritual gifts may change. May we be open to how God works in and through our lives and appreciate every single spiritual gift we have. Just as importantly, may we choose to share our spiritual gifts within God’s kingdom.

For unique spiritual gifts, I am grateful.

Almighty God – thank you for creating us individually unique. May we celebrate the spiritual gifts we find within our lives and use them for the glory and honor of your kingdom. Amen.

Blessings –

Dianne

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