Building and Honoring God's Gifts

I was watching History channel today. The episode was about the History of America, particularly about how the Statue of Liberty was mounted in New York. It was a gift from France to the United States as a thank you for helping them obtain their independence, and as a way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of America's independence. The different parts of the statue came in gigantic crates. Now, the problem of the city was that it was too expensive to actually to put up the statue. They didn't have the money to build it. The gift meant a lot and it was important to honor it. The people were determined to build it. The one who lead the construction, Joseph Pulitzer, was also the owner of the most popular newspaper of that time. Through print media, they asked the people of New York to help build the statue. After the sound off for support, money came in through letter envelopes. There were 120,000 people who gave money and most of them gave less than a dollar. Amazingly, through the help of the people they were able to raise more than enough money to be able to put up the statue.

The Statue of Liberty is like God's gifts to us. We have been given great gifts from the Lord, but we have to build it up. We have our talents, our family, our friends, our jobs and many more. But for us to realize the full potential of these gifts, we have to ask others for help. We need them to be able to put together the different pieces of God's gifts to us. If God gifted us with the talent for leadership, we need to be mentored by different people and gain insights so the gift may be harnessed. God has given to us the gift of family and we need each member to contribute so that the family will stand strong. The gift of our jobs or businesses can only grow if we have co-workers and customers. The gift of our creative talents like playing an instrument, painting, singing, dancing, and writing will be maximized if we actually study and asked to be taught by others. To achieve something great through our gifts, we need other people.

If we have to build something great out of our lives by allowing God to fully use us, our vision for ourselves must also be clear. What do we envision ourselves to be? What do we see ourselves doing for the Lord? It helps if we start to draft a personal vision and mission statement. "Each one, as a good manager of God's different gifts, must use for the good of others the special gift he has received from God (1 Peter 4:10)."

Another insight I got is that the people of New York were excited to help because they were awed by the possibility of this grand vision. For us to be able to get people to support our cause, the vision must be as clear as building the Statue of Liberty. It should be something that excites and captivates the imagination. The vision should make our hearts long for its completion.

God has a great plan for our lives. "I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for (Jer 29:11)." With this great plan comes great gifts. May we be able to build up and honor God's gifts so His glory may be seen throughout the world.