A couple of themes have recently been cropping up as I've gone about my business this past week: gifts & Pope Francis. The latter is not exactly what I'd call a theme per se, but for all intents and purposes* the pope will suffice as such. Furthermore, these two topics, though not mutually exclusive of course, will be dealt with separately... and briefly I hope. It's getting late.
Gifts:
I am one who struggles to accept my own gifts for various and sundry reasons, and I imagine there are many out there who feel the same way about the gifts they have within themselves. Honestly, sometimes I think the whole "gift" ideology is a myth - a big corporate delusion we all entertain to make us feel better about ourselves but which actually just perpetuates the ever increasing narcissism that is raping this generation. And with that I think I just demonstrated at least one reason gifts are a challenging thing to accept.
Although I do think that a certain focus on the self has climbed to an unnecessary height, a healthy level of awareness that each of us has something within us that, maybe doesn't make us unique, but can be used to improve the lives of others is important. I suppose therein lies the crux. Gifts, whatever they may be, are not really gifts unless they serve others. That is perhaps another reason we tend fret about our lack of giftedness. We have been trained to think about our talents in terms of what makes us "special," "unique," "one-of-a-kind," and when we don't see any of those qualities within ourselves - just the plain ol' ordinariness like everyone else - we can start feeling sorry for ourselves That, now that I think about it, is not what the gifts that God gave us are all about. Don't get me wrong. There will be talents and abilities that some will have that others will not. But the point, if I've even settled on making a one, is that whatever we've been given is meant to be given back, and moreover we shouldn't think that what it is we're meant to share is something grand and earth-shaking. For heaven's sake, smile at someone the next time you're on the bus or just walking down the street! Chances are, whether another person smiles back at you or not, somebody will be better off, even if only for a second, because you existed to share what God gave you.
To find your gifts, see how you serve others, and remember two things. You may not be Mother Theresa, and in fact you wont' be, so don't worry about it. Service comes in many and varied ways: a "hello," an offering of help, a listening ear, a laugh, an education, some guidance, an apology, cooperation, etc.. Secondly, it's not about you; it's about God. Let's keep things in perspective.
It was a quick wrap-up this evening. Sorry. But I'll write about Pope Francis another time. In any case, what more can one say about him that hasn't been said already?
Shalom,
Ian
* Is this the correct wording of that phrase?
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