In all fairness and full disclosure regarding my wife’s plumbing abilities it apparently does not transfer to electrical skills. This afternoon I found her changing a light bulb because the light didn’t work. So I remarked maybe it would work if she plugged it in. She did and it did. So there it is. Nobody can do everything. However, I must add that she lights up a room when she enters.
Paul certainly understood this. In Romans 12:6 he wrote, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” Churches and other organizations work best when people are aware of their limitations and do not over-extend. I’m sure we have all served on a committee at one time or another when there was one person who had an opinion about everything. These know-it-alls drive the rest of us crazy yet we need to listen because once in a while they do come up with a great idea. Happy is the workplace where people know their gifts.
Paul was not only a scholar and evangelist, he was also a tentmaker. “Paul went to see them, and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them.” Acts 18. However, we should add we don’t know if he was a good tentmaker. He was a great scholar who understood salvation by grace and that really is enough for any one person.
Then there are those who don’t think they can do anything. They need our help. We need to affirm them and help them find their gift. Everyone has one. Our gift might be aiding others to find their gift. If you know someone who is good at something, affirm them. They will do all the better because of you.
Written by Roger Bothwell on December 5, 2012
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