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Have you considered
the gifts you have (carpentry, art, listening, comforting,
silence, talk, motivating, physical fitness, ...)? Where
have these gifts come from? Are you the kind of person to
pull yourself up by the boot straps? Talent through self
development?
The was a fisherman
who was fishing 55 miles off Barnegat Light, NJ trolling for
Tuna at about 6 knots when he stood up on the deck of his boat,
slipped and fell over board. He could swim pretty well but
in no way could he swim at 6 knots to catch his quickly
departing boat. He prayed to God to come and rescue him!
He knew God heard his prayer so when a trawler came by and asked
started to come along side, his said no thanks guys, I have
someone coming. The trawler captain was puzzled but did
not want to force the guy to so something he did not want,
continued north to NY. Another fisherman saw the man
treading water and came over to help. Once again he said
no thanks, help is on the way. After the fisherman passed,
he said, "God, please hurry, I am getting tired." About 30
minutes later, he slipped below the surface and drowned.
The last thought on his mind was; "Oh God, why haven't you
helped me?"
This is an example of
being presented with gifts (help, guidance, talents) you were
not expecting and therefore not accepting of. The drowning
man expected God himself to come down from on high and help, but
it did not happen that way. Help was there, but not as he
expected and consequently let it go.
Being saved from
certain demise may be as simple as accepting the gift(s) we are
given. This is what Jesus has done for us; offered his
gift of salvation through faith. Making a difference in
someone's life may be as simple as offering your gifts to them.
Share God's love, lend a hand, share your possessions or time.
Dear Heavenly Father:
Thank you for loving so much that you sent your son Jesus to die
for our sins. He taught us to love and serve our brothers and
sisters and how to make a difference. Continue to fill our
hearts with love. May it pour out to those we meet and make a
difference! In Jesus' name, Amen.
p.s. Happy Birthday Nancy! |
