Gracious Gifts

When I was 5 years old, I would sneak into my parent's bedroom, locate my mother's bright red nail polish that she didn't carefully hide in the top drawer of her dresser, and slide under her wooden bed. Several minutes later a shiny new masterpiece could be found painted on the bed frame... a secret little work of art. I am so thankful for a mom who - despite her shellacked bedroom furniture - recognized my love of and giftedness for art at a young age and encouraged me to use my artistic talents throughout my life. Along with my love for drawing and painting, came my passion for writing. In middle school I enjoyed creating short stories, and illustrations to go right along with them. It was quite obvious that I was a "right side of the brain" kind of girl, and as I grew older and painted my way through an art major in college, my talents continued to strengthen.

I majored in art because I loved to be creative and express myself through different mediums. I minored in psychology because I enjoyed working with people... and I wanted to have a job when I graduated. I was able to use my psychology background for a couple of jobs, and occasionally an opportunity would arise that allowed me to tap into my creative side. However, once I had my first sweet little child, my art easel and everything else I could pour onto it, got relocated to the basement. There just was no time for creativity to sprout.

I grew up in a church where speaking in tongues was occasionally seen. Beautiful, angelic voices would belt out hymns and songs of praise on Sunday mornings. Every now and then I tuned in to the sermons about spiritual gifts... wondering what mine were... or if I had any. My mother always encouraged me by telling me to use my gifts... but were my loves for drawing and writing something that God gave to me to use to glorify Him?

Absolutely. In fact, that is exactly why He gave them to me.

It wasn't until my job as a youth minister that I discovered how I could use my gifts to glorify my Heavenly Father. I recall hearing Louie Giglio speak at a National Youth Workers Convention and he said something that completely reshaped my view of worship - at the end of the day, worship is simply our response to the greatness of God. As I chewed on that nugget of revelation, I realized that by NOT using my gifts to glorify Him, I was in fact withholding worship from the God I so aimed to please.

In 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 the apostle Paul tells us, "There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good." The Greek word for gifts in this context is charisma, which is "a divine gratuity... a favor which one receives without any merit of his own. It is a gift of grace, a gift involving grace (charis) on the part of God as the donor" (Strong's). Paul continues on to discuss how a body is one unit, made up of many parts that function together as a whole - every body part playing a vital role, and not being able to function at its best without the other parts. So it is with us as Christians. As the church, we are members of the body of Christ, and each of us plays a crucial role essential to the church body. The following Scripture instructs us in how to use our gifts.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 says, "If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging symbol. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I posses to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing." My NIV Bible uses the word love in this chapter. The KJV uses the word charity in the case of love. Charity in this context is derived from the Greek word agape, and literally translates into "a love-feast." Agape love is described as the love and attitude God has for His Son.

Any gift or talent we have is God-given. Our spiritual gifts are a manifestation of His Spirit in us, which He bestows upon us with the intention of us using them to edify one another and build up the church. No spiritual gift offered up to the heavens will be received unless it is given in pure, selfless charity... a love feast... a response of worship to God's awesome greatness in our lives.

A couple of years ago, I was asked to paint during the worship segment of our Sunday morning church services. It was in those moments, when I was singing out loud and praising the Lord with each stroke of my paint brush, that I felt like I was worshipping Him with everything I had. My paintings were my love-feast to Him.

My boys gave me a coloring book for Christmas. I dusted off my box of colored pencils that hadn't seen any action since my college years, and began to reconnect with a part of myself that had been dormant for quite some time. As I have been coloring the pages of this book, I feel God stirring my heart to use my gifts... to remember why I had them in the first place. With a five month old and a five year old at home during the day, it is difficult to get the laundry done and dinner on the table at a reasonable hour. My world is consumed by three precious little lives that are dependent upon my own, and a husband whom I love dearly. But, and I mean BUT - God DID give me unique abilities that I am meant to use to bring Him glory. I'm praying now that He leads me in the way He wants me to use them. My head is filled with words to pour out and my fingers are itching to draw and shade and paint and color...

Lord, use me.

References: The New Strong's Exhaustive Expanded Concordance of the Bible. Thomas Nelson Publishers, 2010.