Uniquely You

"What you are is God’s gift to you. What you make of yourself is your gift to God!" ~ Anonymous

My pastor has a great line to make one think on a subject. I hear him on the radio occasionally, or read his blog and the line that captures me is "Marinate on that." I love to cook and to achieve the best taste, I often marinate my meats. The process of marinating is not a quick splash and dash of spices and herbs, but instead a slow infusion of those spices and herbs. It takes time to break down the fibrous tissues of some of the less tender cuts of meat.

So, to the above quote, I say "marinate on that". God created each and every one of us to be unique. Do you understand the significance when, for whatever reason, someone requests your fingerprints?  It is because no one shares the same fingerprints.  Think on that a minute....how many people are in the world and no two share the same fingerprints!!! Interestingly, as we go to more and more doctor’s offices, they now seem to have palm scanners?! But our unique creation didn’t stop at the differences in our bodies, it also applies to our collective abilities.

What was profoundly significant to me as I read "The Friendship Devotional" was that while some of us are artistic, others were born to lead and others were born with hearts of compassion. Why this is so significant is that I had always thought that compassion was something someone just was. I didn’t think of it as a God-given gift.  I thought it could be learned.  Interestingly though, I am aware that that is not necessarily the case.

I was fortunate to have been blessed with such a gift and all these years I’ve taken it for granted. Geez, thank you God is my first response and then I’m sorry God, for not realizing the magnitude of such a wondrous gift!  Compassion, as I am being taught by those who seemingly are not the beneficiary of the gift, is the ability to not blurt our the seemingly apparent in a delicate situation. It is the ability to not say I told you so, or ask multitudes of questions that if the asker was cognizant they would understand the hurtfulness of their nature. Compassion does not demand its own way…..oh wait, that is love that doesn’t demand its own way. But wait yet again, compassion is the ability to demonstrate one’s love.

Compassion isn’t critical or judgmental, it allows for thoughts to be shared without the fear of reprisal. In the heat of a moment what is to be gained by pointing out a nit picky error lacking in significance?  Is that redundant?  Well so are some of the thoughts that come out of our mouths when the situation is dire.  Do we stop ourselves from stating the obvious?

My husband and I have been astounded at some of the things said to us, since he was diagnosed with lung cancer. The diagnosis itself was enough to bear and the treatment of such is not without its rigors! Should we also have to bear those who lack compassion and tell us horror stories? Everyone seems to want to know the prognosis. I’m not trying to be hateful here, but really? What does that tell you? Or maybe more importantly why is it of significance to anyone?
For the past few years, I’ve been reading books that speak of simplifying one’s life. In each and every book, I’ve been being taught the necessity of living for the moment, one day at a time. Whatever your diagnosis, living one day at a time, even down to a very second at a time is the only time you are guaranteed! So, to me, a prognosis serves no purpose.

Ah, but then there are those who feel they need to be able to plan. Well, the best laid plans go up in smoke time and time again. I’m not being bitter here, but really?! We had our business plan, and the economy blew up. We had our retirement plan, but our business blew up. We took care of our bodies, but health still can blow up and it did big time for us. Life is full of things that happen out of our control. We can try to plan, but sometimes life doesn’t go accordingly.

So, getting back to my quote, and addressing the second part of it. What I "make" of myself has nothing to do with my career in my opinion. Instead it has everything to do with using the gifts God has given me not to exhort myself for my own purpose, but instead to use those gifts to glorify Him.

Years ago, my singular prayer was to have my heart broken for what breaks his. You know what I found? I found people who hurt others so that they can feel better about themselves. I found jealousy and envy because someone else’s life appears to be better than someone else’s. I am not better than anyone else, but through my God-given gift of compassion, I see the hurt that people feel. I try not to judge, I’m not always successful. That said, if I am so led, I then try to make a difference. Again, I am not always successful.

So, whether your gift is a melodious voice, a beautiful eye for photography, the ability to lead, or teach, possessing the artistic ability to draw, paint, sculpt; find time to appreciate your gift. But for those who say they don’t possess such skills, somewhere inside you do have a passion. Don’t minimize yourself (as I once did) and think God didn’t make you anyone special…..God didn’t make any mistakes, it is more that He wants us to look deep within ourselves and cultivate the garden He planted within. For many, the journey inward is too scary a trip to take. I suggest you find a trusted person and pack your bags. It is a trip I never want to come back from!

Looking up~
Barb