God-given Talents

“Thank you, Lord, for making us so marvelously complex!" ~ Psalm 139:14

We humans have difficulty relating to fish.

That’s partly because their world is vastly different from ours.  They’re not furry, cuddly, or funny; they can’t express emotions or do cute tricks.

They’ve long been misread as primitive, dull, and boring.  But this couldn’t be further from the truth.  They actually live dynamic lives, often blessed with remarkable abilities.  Take the amazing Frillfin Goby for instance.

It’s kind of an ugly little fish that lives in the inter-tidal zones of the Atlantic Ocean.  When the tide goes out, the fish lives in small tidal pools; isolated and safe from the predatory fish that threaten its existence.

See a goby and you’re not likely to give it much thought.  It’s not pretty like so many tropical species, nor is it impressive in size.  It's not even good to eat.

They each have a home pool, but sometimes when the tide rolls out, the waves sweep them into a different pool.  These small puddles become the perfect hunting ground for crabs and shorebirds.

With no place to hide; the goby developed a remarkable technique for escaping to its home pool.

It can fling its 4-inch body into a nearby rockpool, and if necessary, to another, then another, and so on.  But how does leap precisely into the next pool without landing on bare rock … especially since the fish is blind?

Answer: At high tide when they’re still able to swim freely above the pools, gobies swim over the area creating a mental map of the sea-floor’s topography.  Essentially, they create a mental GPS that allows them to make what would be an otherwise dangerous escape.  It’s a trait now passed down through generations; another reminder of the marvelously complex world we live in.

The goby’s natural ability is almost super natural.  And it represents just a fraction of God’s brilliance.  No one can fully understand how imaginative and detailed God is.

He also created each of us with special talents and gifts. To suggest that you don’t have a talent is to call God a liar.  Some have talent in artistry, some in computer programming, still others in singing.  Some people have great skills in business, or teaching, or carpentry.

If you don’t know what your talent, it’s not because God hasn’t given you one.  You have one, you just haven’t discovered or applied it yet.  The first step in finding purpose or even wealth in life is by seeking the Kingdom of God and wait patiently for Him to real what He has planned for you.

If He can make a blind, pea-brained fish fly, imagine what he can do for you with the wisdom and skills He’s provided for you!

Lord, as we walk throughout our day it’s so easy to just glide past the intricacy and depth of the world around us.  May we never forget how marvelously complex our world is, and how brilliant You, who created all things, are still today.

Self-ful

“The second greatest commandment is “Love others as yourself." ~ Mark 12:30

Karyn was in the middle of a busy day when her cell phone buzzed.  “Mom again!”

She’d been so lonely since Dad died; always seeking company, asking for little favors that’d draw Karyn in for another "quick" visit.  Mom always found plenty to talk about.

But the shoe store loomed ahead, new sales on all the styles she’d forced herself to walk past for months.  Karyn silenced her phone; Mom wasn't ruining this for her.

There was daughterly duty and then there was soft Italian leather.  No contest really.  Two hours later she’d spent nearly $700.  She had all year to pay it off and perhaps with a few carefully placed hints - Mom would settle her debt (again).  “She'd earned it lately,” she reasoned.

Karyn unmuted her phone, 12 missed calls ... from the ER.  “Oh God!” she gasped racing to the hospital; fighting the urge to admit guilt.

Karyn pulled back the ER curtain to a lifeless patient, unconscious from a nasty fall.  Memories began flooding her brain like a hammering tide.

Her Mom wasn’t formally educated; she gave up dreams and aspirations in exchange for a family.  She spent money and time on her kids; barely any on herself.  Selfless, wise, and practical.

“How would she manage if the “rock” that held everything together left the earth today,” Karyn wondered through salty tears.  All she wanted to do was lay in bed with her Mom and cuddle.

It would be several hours before the doctor somberly approached.  Mom would remain in an induced coma until the swelling subsided, but she would LIVE.

It gave Karyn time:  1) time for fear to recede; 2) time for reflection, 3) time to rebuild a relationship that’d gone stale.

Sometimes God uses fear and helplessness to show things we normally can’t see.  For Karyn, fear may have been the most effective way to get her attention.

“Giving yourself a little attention isn’t selfish – it’s sensible,” she thought.  If I feel genuinely loved and cherished, I’ll have more to give others.  But ‘loving’ doesn’t mean ‘indulging’ oneself.”

To that end, she invented a new word be added to the dictionary: ‘self-ful’ (as in ‘helpful’, ‘grateful’, ‘purposeful’).  The self-ful person loves and cares for themselves as much as they love and care for others.  They neither give too much or too little.

She took a hard look at her schedule and the routines in her life in order to create room for self-ful living.  It created a margin for helping her Mom (and others) reclaim a sense of dignity that they often haven’t felt in a long time, showing them that someone does think they are important, and assisting them in regaining their self-worth.

God always has a better plan!

Lord, protect me from a small, selfish mindset.  Help me to be the kind, gentle person You want me to be.  Especially, at times when I only seem to care about “me”.  Amen

Budged by His Nudge

“I will instruct you and teach you as My loving eyes watch over you." ~ Psalm 32:8

Market shopping was her favorite time of the week.  Every Saturday morning Sheela would drink in the colors, the aromas and the atmosphere of the farmer’s market like an elixir.  She loved interacting with local stall holders, each one a caricature of bubbly sociability.  They knew her by name and usually kept a few of their freshest items behind the counter that they knew she would buy ... and she always did.

This to Sheela was life.  Real life; not the sanitized pre-packed convenience world of individual yogurts and personal cheeses.  Just after loading her backpack with fresh veggies, she heard it.

The woman’s harsh, demeaning words startled her:  “Straighten up you little s**t or I’ll blister you’re a**.  Times like this, I wish I’d never had you!” she said with heat in her voice before disappearing into the crowd.

“The hurtful words stung, and they weren’t even for me!” Sheela thought.  Moms should be your biggest cheerleader, never your worst critic.

The little girl’s eyes stared blankly; a void so black no light could penetrate.  Maybe six, her innocence had shattered long ago; an open wound that no amount of salve would ever heal.  Sheela knew instantly from the look in her terrified eyes that they'd hit their mark.

Sheela felt a clear nudge from God to approach the child, hug her tenderly, and explain the truth: that she was worth more than diamonds, she was beautiful, and the God of the universe loved her more than she could imagine.

She didn’t do it.  She ignored His nudge.

As Sheela continued shopping, she couldn’t get the little girl with her big blank eyes out of her mind.  She circled back to find the girl and speak life into her.

She didn’t find her; it was too late.  She hadn’t followed God’s leading, and felt terrible for months.  Her tears could have filled a large bucket.

That precious child needed to hear the truth.  God had asked her to convey it, and she had not followed His lead.

But God knew how to get through to her anyway.  That moment joined the palette of paints God used in Sheela’s ever-developing portrait of how she would live in His world.  She’d listen more carefully, seek His counsel more frequently, and act more forcefully.

We’ve all miss His call, sometimes by choice!

But God doesn’t give up!  If anything, He finds ways to reach us even when we’re unreachable.  His nudge can come during a walk in the park or boom at us via the thunder and lightning of a summer thunderstorm.  Luckily, He finds us even when telephone and internet lines are down.

Lord of love, help me feel Your nudges.  Use me - in ways big and small - to accomplish Your will here on earth.  Help me respond without hesitation whenever I hear Your voice calling me into action  Amen

The Makeup Man

“Be beautiful inside, with the lasting charm of a gentle and quiet spirit.” ~ 1 Peter 3:4

Devon taught make-up artistry at the local cosmetology school.  Usually the goal was to enhance a client’s beauty, but there are many different kinds of makeup artistry.

Many work freelance for weddings and proms or in the fashion industry on photo shoots and fashion shows.  Some makeup artists work for productions or television companies.  They might also work at makeup counters helping customers choose products.  The majority of his students were middle-aged women hoping to fine-tune their makeup skills and mask the aging process.

At the start of this semester, a well-dressed gentleman in his later years took a seat in the front row.  “Peculiar!” Devon would recall later.

The new student seemed to have a boundless interest in learning the craft.  He spent extra time perfecting his skills and wouldn’t stop until completely satisfied with his results.

As you might image, the man became the main subject of conversation amid the all-but-one female class.  Rumors and speculations spread quickly.  Being a cross-dresser might explain his attendance and devotion.  The idea of a man taking pleasure in putting on a pair of stockings seemed laughable, pitiful – and frankly, almost sinister in this conservative rural area.

Undaunted by their cynicism, however, he listened carefully and took exhaustive notes.

With the term ending soon, they couldn’t hide their curiosity any longer and asked why he’d been so interested in makeup artistry.

“Last year my beloved wife,” he began, “lost most of her eyesight because of diabetes.  High blood sugar levels eventually damage the retina, that layer on the back of the eye that captures images and sends them as nerve signals to the brain.”

“She’s no longer able to apply her makeup.  I think she’s absolutely beautiful; even more so without makeup,” he continued.  “She knows it, at least I tell her so every day.”

“Her’s is an understated beauty; perhaps because she’s so disarmingly unaware of her attractiveness.  She doesn’t use expensive products – that’s not her style.  She’s all about simplicity, making things easy, helping those around her relax and be happy with what they have.”

“But the thing is this … she’s simply not comfortable leaving our house without a little make-up.  She feels safe behind it – kinda naked without it.  So I took this course to surprise her!"

If the others were ashamed, the man didn’t notice.  He’d accomplished his goal and couldn’t wait to get home.

Very soon, when his wife’s smile and laughter returned, her inner beauty would radiate again on the outside.  Her self-confidence would brighten her eyes and soften her features. And to be in her company, would once again warm the hearts of others regardless of the season.  Age can't touch that kind of beauty, it's just there.

Precious Lord, we know that beauty doesn’t come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and fine clothing.  Comfort us with the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is great in Your sight.  Amen

Son Flowers

“You will find Me only when you seek Me with all your heart." ~ Jeremiah 29:13

She’d never forget that call.  "House fire," was all Kelvin said.  His voice sounded like the words were formed of smoke, his lungs charred.  The line went dead.

Kara’s drive home passed in a blur: she remembered no traffic lights, no turning from one street to another, not even parking behind the fire truck.  Their home resembled something from a horror movie - twisted plastic and charred wooden posts.  Nothing to salvage, not a single thing.

Eleven weeks later, Kara turned the corner onto their former street and braced herself.  She needed to discuss rebuilding plans with the contractor, but the thought of seeing that empty lot, where her family’s house had burned to the ground, sickened her.

Kara knew she should be grateful that everyone had escaped unharmed.  But she couldn’t help wondering why God left them nothing to start over with but dirt … and sunflowers?

She stopped the car and rubbed her eyes in disbelief.  Among the dry-looking weeds and chunks of broken concrete, there was a field of cheerful yellow sunflowers - dozens of them - growing where their house once stood.

They’d never grown sunflowers.  None of their neighbors did either.  The contractor explained they’d started springing up in the lot (and only theirs) over the past few weeks.

Kara stared at the vibrant flowers.  They must be a sign from God, a promise that life would blossom there again.   The flowers also reminded her of a basic spiritual truth: that He’d be found by those who sought Him passionately (Jeremiah 29:13).

If flowers were known for their personality type, sunflowers would be classified as optimists.  Kara had often marveled at how sunflowers stood up straight and tall, always pointing in the same direction.  They constantly pivot to face the sun as it moves across the sky during the day.  But they also rotate 180 degrees during the night to greet the early morning sun – a behavior scientifically known as heliotropism.

When everything is dark and bleak, the sunflower turns itself until it finds the little sunlight that peeks through the clouds and it turns its face that way.  It focuses on the positive.

Wouldn’t it be nice to be like the sunflower?  To turn our backs on the negativity and face the brightness of possibility?  Just as the sunflower closes up and loses some of its luster in the dark, so do we lose our bright smiles, enthusiasm and exuberance in the darkness of negativity.

Yet God reveals His intimate love for us in an intriguing way, pointing us toward the sun, teaching us to lean in and press on, reflecting joy, beauty, and grace.  And all through a simple sunflower.

Father God, help me stand tall like the sunflower; beautiful, bold and bright.  Like the sunflower, guide me to always look towards the Son.  And remind me that even during the dying process, that their seeds provide life, not death.  Amen (by Martha Vetter)

While I'm Waiting

“I’m waiting on You Lord, though it’s not easy.  But faithfully, I will wait." ~ John Waller

After Frankie and Drew Ahrens, a couple in their early 30s, saw their physicians for routine physicals, they didn’t have to wait for his blood work.  Just two days later, Drew logged onto a Website, perused his lab results and sighed with relief.  All normal.

But when Frankie followed suit, no results were displayed.  Instead, a curt message flashed: ‘Contact Your Doctor immediately.’

Internal alarms began screaming.  Fear drenched her mind until there was no room for anything else.  These next few days would either pass as a blip in the course of her life, or they would be the trauma that shattered her into pieces.

Whoever said there's no way to make time stand still clearly never had to endure the unbearable wait for medical test results.  In an age of instant everything, waiting for data from cutting-edge technology in anything less than a nanosecond defies logic and seems unnecessarily cruel.  A potential result with an “Oh No!” conclusion is like walking across hot coals in gasoline flipflops.

Frankie considered her options during the patient limbo period.

She could try to inoculate herself by imagining the worst.  If she could stare, unblinking, into the abyss of worst-case scenarios, maybe the chasm would blink first - and the news would be good.

Or she could keep busy to avoid ruminating.  She could do something helpful for somebody else.  She might even try combatting her anxiety by doing things she enjoyed – like power-shopping.

That day she left four messages for her doctor.  No response.  The next day, Frankie, who had a family history of breast cancer, pleaded with the receptionist for help.  The woman pulled her chart and said, “I can’t tell you what it says, but I don’t think you should worry.”

Now frightened AND angry, Frankie chose to pray … with urgency.  Her impatience had come from forgetting that God was in control; that His plan and timing were always best.  As a result, the delay in getting what she wanted caused her anxiety, irritability and intolerance.

Three days later the doctor’s nurse called.  The test result that’d caused so much uncertainty and misery was a vitamin D deficiency.  Frankie was literally stunned by relief; as if her life’s movie had been kicked out of freeze frame by simply getting more sun and eating better.

When we remind ourselves that because God is good, and His love and grace are enough, we can trust Him for how our day turns out, even in the midst of delays.  The solution to impatience is learning to trust God for how things turn out and that His timing and purpose for things is good, even when our plans are delayed.

Heavenly Father, instead of trying to control people and things to accomplish my goals according to my schedule, help me “fight the good fight of faith” and choose to trust Your outcome, no matter what it is and how long it takes.  Amen

Lean In

“God will not give you more than HE can handle." ~ I Cor. 10:13

It started with an ugly argument.  Bankruptcy was lurking; the lifestyle they’d enjoyed until now would end soon.  Plenty of blame to go around.

Words flew from her mouth that she’d never thought before, let alone verbalized.  In that instant their relationship shattered into glassy shards.  Nothing would ever be the same again.

Craig knew that when tensions escalated, he should inject love instead of anger, but sometimes it just wasn’t that easy with Carol.  So he went outside and began taking the Christmas lights down.

Their financial crisis was Carol’s official excuse for wanting a divorce but mostly she couldn’t stand the sadness anymore.  After 34 years of marriage, their love had changed, become flatter.  Craig, too, felt emotionally drained - nothing left to feel, nothing left to say, nothing left but the void that clouded his brain in darkness.  Then things got worse … when he slipped off the ladder.

Emergency surgery would nearly repair Craig’s back, but a lengthy homebound recovery left him alone for perhaps the first time in his life.  The bedroom window had been his only connection to the outside world.  The phone seldom rang and the door remained shut except when the home nurse checked on him or his daughter stopped by with groceries.

Things got even worse when a letter arrived from his employer announcing a “restructuring.”  At age 55, his job had been eliminated.  He recalled something his mother had once said, “God doesn’t give you any more than you can handle.”

“What crap!” he thought.

Solitude offered plenty of time for reflection, for penance, for prayer.  Since he couldn’t get down on his knees, he talked with God while on his back.  First he begged for answers, “God, why me?”  Further consideration led him to “Help me, Lord.”

When he received a phone call from a (now) former coworker who’d called to see how he was doing, the conversation turned to the hardships she was facing in her own life.

Craig listened thoughtfully as her situation seemed unexpectedly similar.  They found solace in shared Christian beliefs.  Despite their struggles, they trusted God completely; confident that their faithfulness would be rewarded on the other side of eternity.

A budding friendship evolved – one that would help heal them both - not by commiserating, but by consoling, by restoring.  Years later they would marry, find new jobs and live forever grateful.

The promise of Scripture doesn’t pretend that we won’t go through hard times.  What Scripture does promise is that at all times, good and bad, God is ready to helps us handle what we’re given.

He also wants us to turn towards each other.  We are here as God’s answers to prayer; to help one another face things that are more than we can possibly handle alone.

God my Father, bless me with strength when I’m weak, courage when I’m scared, direction when I’m lost and humility when I’m victorious.  Amen