Several years back (we're talking something like 2007 ish) I spent a lot of time with my friend Cindy and her family. That year her youngest son, Matthew, was about 3 or 4 years old. For Easter, he received a chocolate bunny. It wasn't one of those little ones; no, this was a huge chocolate bunny, several feet tall and in a shiny box.
He insisted that she display the box in the living room, where he could look at it when ever he liked. Most kids would be eager to eat it immediately, to savor every bite of the milk chocolate. But not Matthew. He refused to let anyone open it, because he didn't want it to get messed up. It sat there and sat there, before Easter, and I think it lasted a bit after Easter as well. He was so preoccupied with having that chocolate bunny that he didn't want to enjoy the bunny for the reason it was actually created-- to EAT it.
At a leadership meeting earlier this week, our speaker talked about Colossians 1 and about building spiritual legacy. He began to read from the chapter, reading verses 9-12:
For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives,[e] 10 so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, 11 being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, 12 and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you[f] to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light.
We began to discuss what it means to have knowledge of God's will and wisdom and understanding. One of our leaders talked about how part of that knowledge and understanding is helping those we lead to see and understand their gifts and abilities, as well as giving opportunities to draw out and develop those gifts and abilities.
Ultimately, though, we are still left with the choice to USE the gifts or not. We can leave them on the shelf, admire our gifts, and maybe others will even admire the gifts, too. But gifts are meant to be used. To be put into practice. Otherwise they are merely decoration, and in time might even grown stale.
My church, Woodlake Church, has 2 main objectives, which our pastors discuss when people want to join the church, objectives they have done their best to ingrain into all leaders:
1. That the lost are would be found
2. That everyone finds their sweet spot in ministry.
I have friends with many talents. My friend Katie is an extrovert, she is gifted in welcoming people, in drawing them into conversation. My friend Jerrid is gifted in planning and putting together events. In the preschool ministry I'm a part of, I have friends who love babies and can spend all morning with them. Others in our ministry don't really enjoy babies, but they can spend hours with five year olds. The point is, they are using their gifts, developing their gifts. They opened the box.
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