What is My Gift?

The truth is that your life is a gift from God. The Bible categorically states you are "wonderfully made"--in other words, awesome! In fact, you are "a gift from God" to others. This is true even though you may not feel that way today.

Day to day, you may feel the exact opposite--unloved, unattractive, unpopular, worthless, hopeless or just plain lost. You may be wondering who am I? Why am I here? What purpose can my life possibly serve? What is my Ultimate Purpose? Do I have anything to contribute? Will I ever be happy? What is life all about anyway?

The good news is that God did not create you as a cosmic joke. Neither are you a "production control oversight!" As Saint Augustine, the greatest teacher/theologian of western Christianity, once declared, "God loves each one of us as if we are His only child." Just as life itself is a gift, God has gifted each one of us in a special way. Often called talents, temperament, or personality, these gifts have multiple purposes:

• to allow you to contribute to caring for some part of God's creation (family, those in need, community, church, co-workers, animals, the environment, and so on),
• for you to bless others with your gift,
• to enable you to celebrate the contribution that you make in your world and
• to enhance your enjoyment of God's creation.

Everyone has a gift; it need not be particularly flashy. Saint Paul, the most prolific author in the Christian New Testament, a Jewish Rabbi and the foremost Apostle (follower/teacher) of Jesus taught that the greatest gift of all is the ability to love each other-- in short, to treat people according to the Golden Rule.

Gifts may be much more subtle than obvious. Not everyone has a great "splashy" talent - which is fine since the less spectacular gifts often turn out to be the most important of all.

Most people, especially children and the elderly, just want someone to pay attention to them: to be attentive and kind, empathic and sympathetic. In other words, they need someone to care enough about them to listen and understand their world. If listening, love, compassion, service, or patience are your gifts, than you have something powerful to offer almost everyone.

Wisdom literature identifies the desire to encourage others as a wonderful gift. Don't we all need to be encouraged to do better or to overcome life's trials and tribulations? Don't we need someone to tell us to just "hang in there"? As Saint Paul said, "win the race" (of spiritual maturity).

We all need encouragement, motivation, kindness, empathy and support. Because these gifts are exercised so rarely, they are some of the most valuable gifts today.

To discover your gift, ask yourself (or family and friends), what do I really love to do? What gift or trait do I love in others (chances are you share the same gift!)? What am I really good at?