In the 2nd installment of being grateful during this time of Lent, I’ve been thinking of the giftings I’ve been blessed to be able to use.
I remember a conversation I had a number of years ago that I had while I was in the middle of a transitioning point in my life.
This conversation was about possible employment and it was said to me that I had no focus because I had a number of adjectives about me on my Twitter handle. I was told to pick one.
Now I never said anything to the person but I was new to Twitter at the time. I looked at what other people were putting on their handle. I was actually having fun with the handle but anyway..
So I had sports stuff and some of who I was and what I was doing at the time.
Nevertheless, for a period of time, I took what was said and for a brief period of time, I thought I should be focused on one idea only; zoned in on only one concept, one mission, one course of work.
Until one day a few months later, I was listening to one of my mentors talking about giftings and how, if God gave us a number of gifts, it was our responsibility to leverage them all for good.
And that it was not a disservice to ourselves or God if we were juggling more than one ball in the air!
I also realized that people's opinions of what path another person should take are not always right. Pathways are not always cookie cutter even at the best of times.
It is not a disservice to ourselves or God if we were juggling more than one ball in the air!
What an eye opener that I didn’t have to be pigeon holed to just one gift if God had given me more and looking back and forward, I see how so many seemingly non-connect the dots moments, work experiences have helped me in other areas as time has gone on.
Just a few grateful moments
The Bay Department Store: So there were a lot of moments when I said why was I there but looking back, I gained confidence in talking with people I didn’t know, being able to sell merchandise I had no vested interest in other than it being tied to my job, working with and leading a team of people at a young age, ordering goods, packing, storing merchandise to name a few. Even learning how to handle disappointments when I would be passed over for job promotions and being happy later on for missing out on what I thought was “the job” at the time.
Wendy’s Restaurant: The original reason for applying at the restaurant was to help pay for the car I bought but the 18 months taught me so much about running a kitchen, cleaning and disinfecting to code etc. Little did I know that one day, I would be running a homeless drop in day center for 2 years, that I would have a sideline catering business but it started with a lot of late evening shifts at a restaurant that taught me skills that have served me well later on and still today.
Volunteering: We decided to volunteer at a high school in the city 3 days a week running intramural programs and a lunch time group. While it was a hectic period for 2 years, it was rewarding in helping students and giving them an outlet for exercise and an opportunity to be heard in the group we ran.
I could have only dreamed that giving of my time opened up my life to becoming a student service advisor, counselor, special education educator in that same high school, becoming a minister and so much more.
In thinking about the intersect points of leveraging of the gifts I've been blessed with: looking back, I see how the roads I took got me to where I am today and even though there have been some rocky moments, I have to be grateful for the opportunities I’ve been blessed to have had and still have.
So today, we are fortunate to work in the school system in 11 high schools catering to students who need something different than the regular stream schools, we have a sideline catering service, help manage property for an owner, even referee hockey, blog and speak from time to time. And it is enjoyable and while there is work and effort involved, I'm fortunate to have these opportunities.
Every moment in the past has helped grow my identity today and I can see now how every experience, every job, every volunteering moment has positioned me to leverage now what’s inside and I am humbled and grateful that God thought enough of me to bless me with the abilities to do all that I’ve done, am doing and will do.
So I think about that Twitter comment from 9 years ago and I am even more fortunate to be able to do the things I’m doing and growing all the while. It’s never boring and while all our paths are different and how we get there, at a certain point, we must embrace our gifts on the way to growth.
To whom much is given, much is required.
My heart is to believe and hope with God’s help, I can continue maximizing the gifts placed in me for not only my benefit but for those I come in contact with.
It is blessed to give of what we know, what we have, who we are.
Twitter handle aside, I’m grateful for the giftings I’ve been blessed with. I would never have guessed that when I was 17 years old, I would have seen myself where I am today because I had other ideas but it’s amazing how our gifts, motivations and drive can take us to places beyond our wildest dreams.
I would never have guessed that when I was 17 years old, I would have seen myself where I am today because I had other ideas but it’s amazing how our gifts, motivations and drive can take us to places beyond what we originally thought our path could be.
And lest I think that I/we did this on our own, these words in the Bible should keep us humble when we think we did "whatever that accomplishment/action/job performance" etc is on our own.
We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure. This makes it clear that our great power is from God, not from ourselves.
And, I’m just getting started.
Grateful!!!
Dave
Commentaires