Miracles, Gifts and Talents

The theme for this week has been Thanksgiving, and those people in my life for whom I am so very thankful. God has given me amazing people who have a significant role in my life and I am and always will be thankful for each one of them!

There are things in my life that God has done that I consider miracles. To Him, it’s probably ordinary, everyday occurrences, but to me, they were miracles. Like the time many years ago He had a friend come by with a few groceries. It was a difficult time financially and I needed the encouragement as much as I needed the groceries. I had been crying out to God earlier that day for a word, a sign – anything – to remind me that He was still with me and I would be okay. Within the hour, my doorbell rang and there stood a dear friend with two bags of groceries in her hand. I will always be thankful that Linda was obedient when God spoke to her telling her to bring the groceries. The groceries were appreciated but the encouragement she brought was priceless.

There were also the years that I did not have any medical insurance. I worked for a church who did not offer health insurance to its employees because we had a small staff and everyone was able to obtain insurance through their spouse’s policy. Except me. Six years out of the nine I was employed, I did not have medical coverage. During those six years, my children and I were not sick – not one time. There were no typical children’s illnesses or broken bones, and I did not have any medical issues. When I left the church to accept a position with a large corporation I did receive health insurance as part of the benefits. Within the first three months of employment, I needed the coverage for one of my children. You will never be able to convince me that God did not protect us from illness and injuries during those six years. It was not a coincidence. It was a miracle.

God has also given me gifts and talents. It is with all the humbleness and humility I have that I even bring this topic up. Yet, I am very thankful that God has bestowed these gifts upon me and I would be remiss if I did not publically express my thankfulness.

God has given me the gift of administration and this gift has the key to every job I’ve ever held. I’ve always worked in the administrative (read secretary) field. I’m in my 14th year as a Church Business Administrator and believe me, if there is an area that needs lots of organization and administrative skills, it’s in the church!  I love administration and all that it involves and I am thankful for this gift.

When I was six years old, my family and I came home from church one Sunday and while my Mom was preparing lunch, I went to the piano, sat down, and “picked out” the melody of the special song the choir had sang that day. “A Star is Born!” NOT! But it was quite amazing to realize that I could, at age six, play the piano “by ear.” For those not familiar with that term, it simply means that I can hear a song, sometimes only once, and immediately can play it. It is a talent that only God could have instilled in me, along with a great love for music, and I am truly grateful. Music, and playing the piano, has brought me great joy and comfort throughout the years.

I have always said that I am not creative – that God gave me a double portion of administration skills and no creativity skills! However, almost two years ago, God called me to a life of creativity. He reminded me of how creative He is (look at the beauty of nature) and because He resides in me, I have that same creativity. I’m not bragging here because I’ve yet to realize the full meaning of ‘having the same creativity as God.’ In a time of study and prayer, God spoke to me about creativity in the areas of writing, drawing, photography, singing and dancing. DANCING??? He must have been rolling on the floor laughing when He said that! Since that time, I’ve been concentrating on writing. Writing is something I’ve always wanted to do, but never thought I could do, especially as a ministry to others. Yet, that is exactly what God is having me do.

You see, God knew the desires of my heart. He knew that I wanted to be able to minister to women through writing and even though I didn’t believe that would ever come about, He is making that happen. And He’s doing the same thing in the area of photography. Singing and dancing? Well, the jury is still out on those two! The point is God knew and HE is giving me the desires of my heart.

There are so many things that God has done and is doing in my life for which I am thankful that I could fill up 100 pages and still not cover it all. I am sure there are people I failed to mention earlier this week, miracles that, somehow, I’ve forgotten (like the fact that I wake up each morning and I can move and see and breathe), and talents that may be rusty from lack of use, but are still there. In a thousand years, I would not be able to thank God enough for these blessings, but that won’t stop me from trying!

I hope that in some small way, the blogs this week have encouraged you and helped you to realize your blessings. I pray that we will all carry this thankful attitude into the coming season of Advent. Speaking of Advent, we will be doing something different through my blogs, so stay tuned!

Maranatha!