FLAP YOUR WINGS
Do I really matter? Do I have anything to contribute to the world? Can I cause change? Can God really use me? Are my gifts as important as others? God got my attention about this in the last couple of weeks. You all know how God does that when you don’t really want to hear it. He repeatedly puts a theme right in front of your face so that you know that it is God and you can’t blame it on a coincidence … even when you want to. Have you ever had a season of feeling sorry for yourself, you know, the whiny “I have no gifts, nobody cares, somebody else can do it better … nobody likes me, everybody hates me, guess I’ll eat some worms” kind of feeling sorry for yourself. I have. Oh, admit it, you know you have felt like this.
Earlier this week I learned about the butterfly effect. I was fascinated. Butterflies on one side of the planet can flap their wings and start a chain reaction of moving molecules that can literally affect weather patterns on the other side of the planet. Science has actually proven this unbelievable phenomenon. Go ahead, google it. It is called The Law of Sensitive Dependence Upon Initial Conditions. It works with any form of moving matter including people. Hey, I am a “people.” So does that mean that I can “flap my wings” and cause change? Could God use me to cause change? That rolled around in my head all week. Could I? Could you?
Tonight I had the privilege of talking with a group of women as we discussed our strengths and gifts. I felt a little awkward (okay, a lot awkward) and I sensed some of the others did as well. Why are we like that when we talk about our own gifts? We had to say out loud what we thought our gifts were. That would just be terrible. That would be bragging and we are humble people … right? I could feel tears well up because I was not feeling very good about myself and I struggled to verbalize my gifts. However, as we talked, and encouraging and affirming words poured out as the women spoke with each other, I thought why do we allow Satan to use this lie to paralyze us, especially when God tells us different.
1 Corinthians 12: (4) There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.(5) There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. (6) God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. (7) A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. (11) It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. (12) The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. (18) But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. NLT (Really you should read the whole chapter)!
Ephesians 3:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. NLT
You get the picture, we as Christians are part of something HUGE – a “chain reaction of moving molecules” that God has planned for us, if we would just flap our wings. We are HIS masterpiece. We have been given gifts and God has a job for us to do. Believe it! So what is your gift? Say it out loud – then flap your wings and watch God work through you!
By Cyndi den Otter (C)
Copyright 2010 November 7 Cyndi den Otter – All Rights Reserved May be used with author’s permission
Find us on Google+
Cyndi den Otter 