Unwrapping Gifts

Have you ever gotten a gift and as you unwrapped it there was another gift box inside another and another and another? What happens is that the gift just keeps getting smaller and smaller until at last, it is revealed.  I confess that I’ve done this before. The joy of giving a tiny gift and presenting it as a HUGE present is so much fun. Maybe you’ve done this for your children or spouse on their birthday or at Christmas time. It makes the gift-giving experience a little more interesting and suspenseful.

Did you know that the element of surprise is within each person God has created? God has placed gifts within all of us to use for His glory. What is amazing about the gifts that God has given to us is that they are not One Size Fits All. These gifts come in all shapes and sizes!  AND what is fascinating about this is that sometimes when one gift is opened, another gift gets revealed. AND the gift can be more than what we could ever suspect or imagine.

This summer, I have had a few projects sitting in my “parking lot”.  Do you have a parking lot? These are the projects on my TO DO LIST that are big or will require a lot of time. They don’t necessarily have a specific due date either. Whenever I am ready though, these “parking lot” projects will transfer onto my weekly goals list.

I say this because I’ve been wanting to add some artwork to our church’s nursery.  It’s been given a makeover and a fresh coat of paint is on the walls.  As with all projects, I started asking myself two questions: “Who can help me?” and “How cost-effective can it be?”  The answers to these questions would help me to stay within budget.

So… I had a conversation with a teenager. She’s in our youth group and loves to decorate. She had helped me before with some of our children’s ministry designs, so I knew that the gift of creativity and design was within her.

First, though, let me make this one thing clear: I had not seen any of her artwork but only had conversations about her “art experience” in school. However,

You can see gifts within people before they manifest. 

I asked her if she would be open and willing to paint a tree in the nursery. Cadence enthusiastically replied, “Yes! I can do that!”  and my response was, “Okay great, let’s set a day and time to make it happen” (because if we don’t, it never will).

The following week, Cadence and I are in the nursery, and she is sketching out a tree that we thought would be the vibe that would best fit the wall space. I shared some ideas like adding a bird in a nest and a cute little squirrel in the tree. Cadence happily ran with all the ideas!

When all the sketching was complete, we met the next day to start the painting process. I was very excited to see this project finally getting done. I was also thrilled to be able to see Cadence using the God-given gifts within her.

As this painting project got underway, I asked Cadence if she had ever painted anything of this magnitude before. Cadence shared that she had not. I was so inspired by her as she showed great confidence and wasn’t afraid to step out of her comfort zone to do this. Right before my eyes, I was witnessing gifts unlocking gifts within her. Cadence had a gift of art, but she was experiencing a greater degree of it by her willingness to go beyond the expected.

Saying “yes”, and responding with confidence, can unlock gifts within

that you never knew were even possible.

Cadence was painting animals and stretching herself to accomplish things she had never done before.

Ladies, this is what we are called to do! We are to encourage others (like the next generation) to recognize and use their gifts. We are to help others pull out the gifts that are within them; ones that they don’t even know they possess.

It is truly amazing to watch someone use their gift, but it’s even more amazing to experience the unlocking of MORE GIFTEDNESS.

As we grow and mature, I believe there are gifts that will continue to develop when we say yes to whatever God has for us. We are to use our God-given gifts for the Lord’s glory.

Our gifts are for serving and helping. They fit within the body of Christ. Every gift is valuable and can be used and seen. Every single gift has a purpose. These gifts are not scaled in the way we think gifts are scaled. God can use every gift no matter what size. God can do more within us than we think or imagine. However, we cannot compare our gifts to others. We need to be thankful for how He has equipped us individually for His purposes.

Gratitude sparks giftedness. 

You have gifts to unlock within you. There are also people needing help to unlock the gifts within them.  So, let’s start unwrapping the presents! 

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,

as good stewards of God’s varied grace.” 1 Peter 4:10

Here are two action steps:

1.     In what ways can you use your gift to discover more gifts within you?

2.     Who can you inspire and encourage in your sphere of influence to use the

gift you see within them?

I leave you with this verse:

“For as in one body, we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”  (Romans 12:4–8)

Have fun unwrapping your gifts this week!

Be who God has created YOU to be. Live in the MORE that He has planted within you. Don’t limit God. He loves to surprise us!

You are CREATED for MORE

Bethany Marshall