I can still remember the first time I became involved in writing on a regular basis. It began innocently enough. I was involved in a football pool at work, and I thought it would be a clever idea to write a brief and exceptionally sarcastic newsletter to all of the members each week, explaining the various reasons why anyone would make the kind of rediculous picks that some of them had made the previous week.
I covered everything from apparent psychological disorders to temporaray insanity, marital problems, and even down to what could only be explained as a lack of blood flow to the brain of the member who decided to pick the teams they had. After all, nobody in their right mind would've picked that team over the other one. I took a great deal of pleasure in offering up my own explanation as to why they had suffered from such an incredible lapse of reason.
I wrote the fiirst one, and then passed it out to each member along with the results of the previous week. What began as my having fun (at the expense of the pride and dignity of the other members) eventually became the high point of the week for many of us. The guys involved couldn't wait to see who I tore into this week, and I know that, over time, a few people joined the pool just to become part of it.
It was during this time that it became clear to me that I might just be good at that sort of thing. I knew this because I received very positive feedback from everyone who would take the time to read what I had written. In a very odd way, my success there eventually involved into my writing many short articles, this blog, and has even led to an effort on my part to write a novel, which is still a work in progress.
I've written more things in my life than I can count, but I still have this deep drive to keep writing more and more. It has rarely, if ever, felt like work to me. It just seems to come naturally to me, and I enjoy doing so more than the vast majority of things I'll do on any given day.
I've never been paid a dime for anything I've written, and that's ok with me.
Since taking my writing in a different direction - that being writing for the sole purpose of inspiring and encouraging others within their faith - the rewards I've experienced have been exceptional. There are very few things that mean as much to me as hearing someone say: "Steve, thank you so much for writing that. I really needed to hear that today." It brings a sense of joy and fulfilment to my heart that I can't even begin to describe.
So, what are you - the reader - supposed to take away from what I've written so far?
It's very simple. Every week, we sit in our churches........or come up with reasons why we don't belong there. We hear people take the pulpit and talk about giving. We naturally assume that they're only talking about giving financially. This frustrates us at times, because many of us are struggling to a great degree financially. We hear the words, but we can't think of any way to give at the moment.
But there's a gift you've been given freely, and it's one that can be passed to others with little or no effort on your part. It's the gift of who you are. It's the gift of who you were created to be.
It means more - to someone - than you could ever possibly imagine.
I remember way back when I was just a teenager. (Yes, I can still remember that far back) I was considering getting involved with a project that I was certain I'd be good at, but one which I wasn't sure anyone would appreciate. The mother of a very good friend overheard me talking about this, and said the following:
"Do you truly believe that you have a gift in that area? Because if you do, refusing to move forward in it is not only robbing yourself of the opportunity to use your gifts, it's also robbing the people around you from enjoying them...........and that is extremely selfish of you."
Those words have stayed with me for over 30 years, and they still ring true to me today.
I have seen first hand what God can do with our gifts, if we'll just take the first step of using them for Him. The rewards we experience personally when we do so are far too great to even begin to explain. I won't know the full extent of those rewards, or how far God can take what I offer up, until my work is done here and I move on to be with Him.
But this much, I do know: Using my gifts has never felt like work.
What gifts do you have? How can you use them? Where are they needed most? If you ask those questions, then act upon the answers you receive, your life will never be the same, and you will never regret acting upon them
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