by Phyllis Ducey
pfdoriginalartworks


This past week Sue Anderson wrote on the CAST Team’s blog about gifts that God has given us which started me thinking in the same line. Christmas is coming… it is just around the corner. Unless you are one of those who are so well organized your Christmas shopping is done, than you are focused on what gifts you’ll be giving. Yesterday I spent a couple hours doing online shopping and ran to Wal-Mart for a little more. I still expect to do several additional hours of shopping. I realized that I am so focused on the gift giving that I am not focusing on the true gifts of the season… the kind that is given to us by God.

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! Mathew 7:11

I can’t even imagine I could count them all or truly know what all of them are. There is the gift of eternal life which God has provided us through His son, Jesus. That is the greatest gift of all. Another gift that I treasure is the Bible… the word of God. I can’t envision living without it to help me understand God’s love and grace.

The gift of the five senses (eyesight, hearing, touching, tasting, smelling) most of us who have them take them for granted but they are so very precious. I realize the value of them as I watch with amusement my little grandchildren playing. And speaking of amusement… laughter… isn’t that a wonderful gift? Crying can be a gift too as it releases tensions from pain whether it be physical or emotional.

Those are a few of the wonderful gifts from God but this season what gifts are we giving to Him? We each have gifts that He has implanted in us. Have you taken an inventory of those gifts recently? You should. Knowing your gifts is not being conceited as long as you are not boastful but it is understanding who you are. God has given them to you to use for His glory and if you are not aware of what exactly they are, how can you use them to their fullest capabilities? How can you gift them back to Him?

In my opinion, if you think you are “giftless” (one of my words that the dictionary has not acknowledged yet), you are not looking through God’s eyes at yourself. It is important to see how He sees you so that you can fully be who He created you to be. As humans we are all the same, yet each of us is amazingly different! We each need to find out what in us is the “amazingly” different part of who we are.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 1 Cor 12:4,5

I have found that some gifts need developing and some need prayer to discover and some are just uncovered by accident.

I work at a hospital that has a nursing home as part of it too. One day they needed help escorting the residents outside to view an event. I decided to take my oldest granddaughter, Emme, with me (at the time 8 years old) then we would go out for breakfast afterwards. It was an unusually cold day for spring and none of the residents wanted to go outside but there was a group in the activity room doing crafts. We went around talking and assisting them. I expected Emme to be shy and reticent because a lot of children (and adults) don’t know how to relate to nursing home residents who sometimes can’t communicate well or drool or are crabby. Emme was amazing! She sang a few songs for them and spent time talking to each. She loved working with them so much so that I could barely pull her away to go to breakfast.

When we were leaving, unprompted by me, she individually said good-bye to each either hugging them or holding their hands in hers and saying something sweet. She’d tell one how pretty their hair looked today and another she liked their blouse. Where did this all come from? I can only say that she is gifted from the Lord to work with them! Now she volunteers at the nursing home weekly with my husband. She loves it and they love her!

Emme’s gift of bringing joy to the nursing home residents was an accidental find. We may never had discovered it if I had not decided to bring her that day. If you are wondering if you are gifted in an area, just try something new… something that you have never done before to see if you find a peace or joy in doing it. If you haven’t discovered it already, find that amazing part of you. I guarantee you it is there. When you find it, give it back to God because he who is faithful with little will be given much… your abilities will grow. Then your faithfulness can become the gift that keeps on giving!

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. 1 Cor 12:27-31

Tea bag holders by kissnangel















Ornament by pinkiebirdieboutique

In love by 2as1

The day after my husband and I were conversing about this, friends of ours came over. We were to have a meeting, planning our youth camps for the year. We normally have a short devotional before starting our meetings. So we did. We read out of the book of Job.

I began to think...

"I have it all planned out-plans to take care of you, not abandon you, plans to give you the future you hope for." Jeremiah 29:11

Let me share this short story with you:

As the father wakes to a blazing fire in his home, he realized his young son is upstairs. The fire is so bad it's hard to see through the flames and smoke. He hears his son screaming for him. The father realizes he is unable to get him, the flames have engulfed the stairs.
As the young boy stand at the top of the stairs unable to see his father standing below, his father yells, "Son, just jump! I can see you. I will catch you!" The son replies, "But dad, I can't see you. I'm scared!" His father again replies, "Son, don't worry! Trust me! I can see you. Jump!"
Although scared, and unable to see his father, he jumps. Only to fall into his fathers arms and out to safety.

Sometimes, we have a hard time trusting Him when we can't see what we were anticipating. We doubt. Always remember He is at times just simply waiting on us to be faithful and have complete trust in Him. Once we let go of our doubts and fears and JUST JUMP, we will realize we will be falling into His arms and taken onto HIS purpose and plans.

If you don't remember anything else from this, remember this...

I hope you have enjoyed this and today's faith driven finds.

In His Love,

Ana