A small canvas

A great artist can paint a great picture on a small canvas. (Charles Dudley Warner)

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. (I Peter 4:10)

I cringe whenever I hear someone say that God couldn't use them or that their 'gifts' were too insignificant to 'count' in the scheme of things. God created each of us uniquely - some with a great big 'canvas', others with a 'small' canvas, but the thing he created is what makes the difference, not the size of the 'canvas'. We all have probably heard that good things come in small packages. I think God uses the canvas of our lives to paint a picture of his grace and love. We are a 'display' of both!

Use your spiritual gifts, regardless of how 'small' or 'insignificant' you may believe them to be. The beauty displayed in a life that has been redeemed by his grace doesn't find its significance in the 'quantity' of one's gifts, but in the quality of putting those gifts into use as he directs. Serve one another and do it well. You will be fulfilling your purpose when you do. 

God sees our talents as limitless. They may not be as 'public' as some are, but when we serve one another with the gifts and talents we have been given, we are allowing God to move through us to touch the lives of others around us. There is no greater 'canvas' than one that has been painted by God's hand. When you said 'yes' to Jesus, his finger strokes set forth a thing of beauty. All that grace touches is beautiful and is it useful!

Have you ever seen a mosaic? The artist has taken small objects and created a larger object out of all those small pieces. In much the same way, God takes the 'small canvas' of our lives, fits it together with various other 'small canvas' lives, in turn making a vast mosaic of his 'artwork'. The thing created when we are faithful to use the talent he has given us is 'huge' when all of us are faithful to display what he has done in each of our lives. Just sayin!

Caution: Mining Underway

We are all gifted. That is our inheritance. (Ethel Waters)

So we must be more careful to follow what we were taught. Then we will not stray away from the truth... The Lord himself first told about this salvation, and those who heard him testified it was true. God also testified to the truth of the message by using wonders, great signs, many kinds of miracles, and by giving people gifts through the Holy Spirit, just as he wanted. (Hebrews 2:1,4)

At times, it seems we have nothing 'good' going on in our lives - like life has stood still. If we knew what was going on 'behind the scenes', we might look at the 'stillness' of the moment we are enjoying as a kind of 'present' that prepares us for what is about to come. Even when it doesn't seem like much is going on, we still need to be consistent in our walk. We need to do the things we know to do - using the gifts we have been given to the best of our ability. Why? We are about to be launched into action and it will require us to be 'ready'. I used to think these times of 'nothing happening' were my 'fault' - like I did something to 'reduce' the presence of God in my life. It was just that God was uncovering things he was about to use in some way. When we don't see or 'appreciate' what God is doing, remember this: "Rough diamonds may sometimes be mistaken for worthless pebbles." (Thomas Browne)

Gifts sometimes seem like 'rough, worthless pebbles', the furthest thing from a polished and cut diamond. When those gifts we are given are used for God's glory, there is a 'cutting and polishing' process going on. God does the work of 'perfecting' the gifts we have been given as they are put into use - not the other way around. If we continue to see only 'rough stones' when we look at our lives, we might just get a bit discouraged. The stonecutter doesn't see the roughness of the diamond and discard it - he knows the extreme beauty of the stone lies deeper within. As the stone is 'put into use', tenderly cared for under the skillful eye of the stonecutter, a thing of beauty AND strength is unmasked. Did you now diamonds are one of the hardest precious stones in the world? They are pretty much indestructible.

God gave you those gifts - as rough stones maybe - but they are given so he can be manifest through your life. Do diamonds just 'surface'? No, they are mined. The times when it appears nothing is 'going on' in our lives may just be the seasons when God is unearthing those 'rough stones' in us. They have to be unearthed if they are to undergo their transformation, don't they? Never discount the beauty that is within each one of those rough nuggets. The first skillful touch of his hand will begin to reveal the beauty, but the more he cuts away at the roughness of the stone, the more beautiful that gift becomes. Just sayin!

Who knew?

For who do you know that really knows you, knows your heart? And even if they did, is there anything they would discover in you that you could take credit for? Isn’t everything you have and everything you are sheer gifts from God? So what’s the point of all this comparing and competing? You already have all you need. You already have more access to God than you can handle. (I Cor. 4:7-8 MSG)

Who really knows your heart - not mine, not the next guy's, but yours? At first, you might think of someone very close to you and say they come pretty close to really “knowing” us, but do they really? Do they know the intimate workings of our mind (that could be scary), see the inner challenges of daily decisions that we make (uhm...that would be meddling), or understand the pull of our self-nature in every opportunity for compromise that presents itself to us? To be truthful here, no one really has that kind of knowledge of us - but some come "close". There are those who we confide in, but even in the deepest of relationships, we don’t always share ourselves completely, with full transparency in every area of our being - we 'guard' ourselves in some area because it is just not comfortable for us to expose ourselves totally.

There are always going to be challenges faced by the believer in understanding and appreciating the unique character qualities and talents bestowed in their lives. There are always going to be the tendencies of human nature to engage in comparing one’s own talents and abilities to those of another - he has that, she does this. The tendency of our nature is to zero in on some area of performance in the life of another and then to see if we “measure up” to that performance level – in areas that are spiritual, material, physical, or relational. Measuring up is kind of subjective, though, because our 'measuring tape' in life is often skewed by our experiences, beliefs, and sense of 'self-worth'.

The concept of “wanting what the Jones’ have” is not a new concept to the 21st century. It has been a challenge for human beings for as long as man has walked this earth. Even in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve were challenged by the fact that they felt God was keeping something from them in forbidding them to partake of the two trees in the Garden. They wanted what they did not possess right now and were willing to pursue it, regardless of the cost. Beware of this kind of 'inward drive', my friends, for 'getting what we want' in this 'very moment' may not always work out the way you hoped! Sometimes we bite off way more than we can chew when this is the drive behind what we are doing!

Everything we have and everything we are is completely a gift of God in our lives. We often claim credit for our accomplishments, focusing attention on our ability or talent, all the while completely missing the fact that God was the creator and the one who bestowed that talent in the first place. Without the gifting God places in our inner man, we would fall short of the ability required to accomplish the very thing we so often take credit for ourselves. Comparison often leads to the conclusion that we are not “gifted” or “talented” because we do not accomplish the same things or walk in the same manner that the one we are observing has accomplished. What we really need to hear (and I mean loud and clear) is that “You already have all you need.” Could it be that easy? It is really a matter of us realizing that the unique way we have been created, including the uniqueness of our personality, make up something of significant usefulness in the hands of a mighty God.

When we get real with ourselves, allow ourselves to get real with others, and then allow God to expose the unique way he has created us to interact with others, building one another up in the special way their are created, we find a great synergy begins to occur. The body of Christ begins to function exactly as he intended - each of us being a building block of greatness in his kingdom. Just sayin!

Sensible gifts

God doesn’t want us to be shy with his gifts, but bold and loving and sensible. (2 Timothy 1:7 MSG)

The gifts God gives are truly magnificent - some may try to mimic the true gifts of God, but where there is a true talent given, it shines through. I am not musically inclined, but that didn't keep me from attempting to learn the guitar. Notice, I said I "attempted" to learn that instrument, but to be totally honest here, I strummed a good strum, but somehow couldn't make that instrument 'sing' like others could. I learned the notes, memorized the fingering for some basic chords, and studied lots of hours in an attempt to become proficient. The real crux of the matter is that I wasn't going to learn! I didn't really possess that musical talent that one needs to get 'really good at it'. You just cannot force a gift - it emerges 'naturally' - as though it just fits you like a custom-made glove.

If you have received a gift from God, don't kid yourself into believing it isn't going to be noticed by others - no matter how much you attempt to keep it under wraps, the gift will emerge! I have a mind to see detail, often missed by others, that some think is akin to having a photographic memory. I honestly don't think that is because I have been given better 'insight', but it is just the way God made my mind to work. In a very real sense, this is a gift from God - it is intended to be used in ways that will benefit others. My grandson has an ability to conceptualize something in his mind, taking things discarded by others, and re-inventing them into objects that will meet a need. When he needed a fishing pole holder to place along the pond's edge, he found discarded parts from an old wire rack, an extendable handle (also in the junk pile), and a little ingenuity with the welder. In short order, he had a double rod holder!

It doesn't always have to be a 'gift' as outlined in scripture sometimes referred to as 'ministry' gifts - such as preaching, teaching, administration, service, etc. While all of these are essential to helping us meet, know, and follow Jesus, there are a ton more gifts that some might refer to as 'too practical' to even begin to think of them as 'true gifts'. I think of the woman who has a way of settling down a crying infant with her ability cuddle them, coo reassuringly, and bobble them into submissive calmness. I'm good for about 15 minutes of that and then I want you to come get your baby! I have also watched the extreme patience of the first grade teacher who patiently reminds that daydreaming child of the right way to write the letters in between the lines on the paper. If you don't consider that a gift, give it a whirl and see how much you come to admire the degree of 'vision', 'belief', and 'patience' those teachers have each and every day. They see possibility in your child, create a culture that supports their trying time and time again to get it right, and then praise each effort as though it were 'gold medal' worthy! That is indeed a gift!

Let us now be shy in expressing the gifts God has poured into our lives. They may not seem like much to us, but to the ones on the receiving end of your gift, they are amazing! They may seem a little too 'sensible' to be called 'gifts' in the minds of those who see only the gifts outlined in scripture - those 'ministry gifts' - but there is a time and a place for each gift - sensible gifts used by sensible people. Just sayin!

Drive a few nails!

We chase after a lot of things in life - not all of them are really worth chasing.  Sometimes we chase stuff which really only serves to bring us grief and disappointment.  This chasing is a part of a much deeper issue - we lack satisfaction or contentment.  Contentment is a state of being "at ease" in our mind, soul, and spirit.  We don't need activity - we are at rest.  Sometimes ceasing is the best remedy to chasing!  Satisfaction really a sense of being grateful - fulfilled in what we have and who we are.


Go after a life of love as if your life depended on it—because it does. Give yourselves to the gifts God gives you.  (I Corinthians 14:1 The Message)


Paul reminds us of the importance of pursuing the right stuff - in turn, it will bring us into a place of contentment like nothing else can.  It is in the giving of ourselves to the gifts God gives us that we find our greatest place of contentment (fulfillment).  Before you tell me you don't have any "gifts" or "talents", let me assure you - you have talents and gifts way beyond your imagining!  


Too many times, we limit ourselves by the belief we don't possess the "right stuff" to do what it is God is asking us to do.  We often don't know the "talent" God may need in a particular moment - but he does.  If he places us smack dab in the middle of the need - we must have something he desires to be used to meet the need!  In reviewing our "spiritual gifts" we often discount the very "practical gifts" we have been given, such as our talent to balance a set of accounting books, the ability to proof a term paper, or the awesome ability to make people very welcome.


We somehow think the "spiritual gifts" God is looking for are all these "mystical" gifts like the "word of knowledge" or the "prophesying" of a new revelation to the church.  As important as these gifts are, the most important gift we have to offer Christ is ourselves - complete with every "natural talent" we have.  In turn, God takes what we consider "natural" and turns these into something he considers "super-natural".  When we are in service with the talents we possess, he is honored!


Look again at our passage - Paul is pretty emphatic in his declaration.  We are to "go after" a life of love as if our "lives depended on it".  Paul leaves no doubt about it - he reminds us our life does indeed depend upon our pursuit of all God has for us.  When we are "going after" something, there is a tenacity (a stick-to-it kind of attitude).  We don't want to give up without the reward of what we are pursuing.  To Paul, the life of service was this type of tenacious pursuit.


I wonder just how much we'd be blessed in blessing others with the simple talents we possess?  You may be excellent readers - have you ever considered reading to the blind or elderly with failing vision?  I know my mother enjoys it when my sister sits lazily by on the sofa, book in hand, and shares the stories from the Reader's Digest with her.  You may be able to herd cats - maybe your toddler's church class could use your talent!  You might be able to make a mean cup of coffee - perhaps the ladies need a safe-place for a mom's group. Whatever you possess - give it!  You might just be surprised at what God can do with the "simplest" of talents!


Paul really wants us to focus on giving what it is we have - not bemoaning the fact we don't have a particular "gift" to give.  In other words, he doesn't want us to focus so much on what we "don't" have as much as we focus on what it is we "do" have.  In the giving of ourselves to what it is we recognize as a "talent" or "natural bent" we might have, God can bring forth the "spiritual" blessing of our "gift".  Don't make too much of the word "gift" - instead, allow God to use you as "fits" your temperament.  Pick up the hammer, drive a few nails, and see what he allows to be built!  You might just be surprised to find in the nail hammering, lives are touched!