God Made Us Different – Part 2

Last week, I talked about how God made us different and how diversity is a good thing – strength is found there.  This week, let’s talk about how you can help support and encourage another person in their gifts.  While we’ve been home since last March, I’ve sought out many avenues of entertainment.  I’m not normally a comedy lover, but I do love Michael, Jr.  If you’ve never heard him, I highly recommend checking him out on YouTube.  Something he said, resonated with me – he asked himself what he could give. What? What can you give? As a giver of time, attention, donations, etc., I’m always looking for different ways to give.  

This blog for instance is one example for me. It is God’s gift to me to share with the world.  It’s not the way I envisioned using the gift of writing, but it is one of the most fulfilling things I do each week.  Drafting this blog is so rewarding, but one of the things that is helpful is the feedback I get from the readers.  When someone is touched by the words God has given me, it raises my level of expectation that God will do it again and again.  So, thank you for your support and encouragement, but, I ask, “Who in your life needs a bit of support or encouragement to change the world?” 

I am one of the teachers for the middle school ministry at my church (I’m sure I’ve told you that before) and I’m always looking for new and different ways to teach the message of the Cross and how we should live to the students.  It’s sometimes difficult to reduce complex topics to something preteens can understand and embrace, but I continue to work at it because I don’t know which one of them might be the cure to cancer or solve an unsolvable mathematic equation or paint the next masterpiece or write the next sonnet or become president.  Each one of those children has a special gift from God (James 1:17) for the building up of His kingdom and I want to help bring out those gifts to their fullest capacity.  

What gifts do those around you possess?  How are you helping them identify their gifts? How are you helping them develop them? How are you encouraging the children in your life to pursue areas associated with your gifting?  Do you have a talker at home? Maybe they would be great at debating or speech.  Do you have someone who loves crafts? Maybe they are an artist.  Do you have a child who loves taking things apart? Maybe they are an engineer. We have to speak life to those around us.  The power of life and death is in the tongue (Prov 18:21). Don’t declare people are the opposite of what God called them.  Just like when the angel of the Lord called Gideon a mighty warrior when he was hiding to thresh wheat, we must call out the thing we know to be true for those around us. Call out those gifts you see in others and as you call them out, the prayer is they will be encouraged and embrace the gifting, as well.