Grace for the Moment Evening 10/4

Title: An Uncommon Call

“The Spirit has given each of us a special way of serving others.” 1 Cor 2:7

“You have a divine spark. An uncommon call to an unconmmon life. The Spirit has given each of us a SPECIAL way of serving others. This doesn’t mean you have to do everything-you are not God’s solution TO society, but a solution IN society. Don’t worry about skills you odn’t have. Don’t covet strengths others do have. Just EXTRACT your UNIQUENESS.”

This fits along perfectly along with a particular quote by Edward Hale I have been focusing on over the past 2 weeks. It says, “I am only one, but I am one.  I cannot do everything, but I can do something.  And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I can do.” This has given me so much courage and strength as I go out to try to serve others.

I am NOT a good singer or dancer. But I can sing with joy and dance unceasingly to entertain the orphans and students. I am NOT the best with kids. I CANNOT understand most of the things they say to me. But I do have patience and I am willing to be a loving, continuing presence in their lives. I may not be able to communicate everything I want to convey to them with words, but I can provide a hand for them to hold and a lap to sit in. I can let them know they are loved and cared for. I can be a PRESENCE for them. They don’t care if I am the most talented-they just care that I’m there. I have never taught English before. But I am creative and can find ways to express myself without speaking Tetum well. I can work to make English (and learning in general) FUN for the students. I am NOT able to question patients at the clinic or treat their wounds or injuries (yet), but I can be a loving, consoling presence in the room. I can offer them a shoulder to lean on, a pat on the back, a hand to hold.  I am NOT the best at anything. But I have more perseverance than anyone I know. I am not the bravest or most adventurous person in the world, but I DID respond to God’s call to come to East Timor. I am WILLING to follow Him. I guess it’s not about being ABLE, it’s about being WILLING. If God only called the BEST people to do His work, a lot of us would be sitting on the sidelines. In fact, we might ALL be sitting on the sidelines because we would believe that we aren’t the best at anything. We would think that there has to be someone out there with more skill than us. Thankfully, God hasn’t called just the most talented people to serve Him, he has called all of us. He has called me-complete with my flaws, quirks, imperfections, insecurities and fears. He knows I can do it-it’s time I started believing it, too.

I may not get to choose the gift I am given from God or even where to use it (being sent to ET), but I do get to choose TO use it. And I WILL use it tirelessly for His sake.