As we approach the end of another year, each of us has the opportunity or the burdensome task of looking ahead while using hindsight from the past 365 days to guide us into greater effectiveness, if that’s what we’re living for. If not; “Party on Garth!”
As for me, my hope is that every year, I will come to greater levels of understanding, compassion and excellence, all according to my God given abilities and the God given resources set before me. If I maximize these combined elements, effectiveness and influence will follow.
Jesus taught a parable about people and their opportunity to do something with what they were given. To one much was given. To another a little less, and to another even less, and so on. We fondly call it the parable of the talents, but frankly you could call it the parable of the resources.
The beautiful grace expressed in that parable is this; each of us is accountable for only what we are given, all according to our abilities. Take time to consider the ramifications of grace in that principle. Then wipe the sweat off your brow and get on with enjoying life.
Our heavenly Father has a unique way of optimizing life for each of us. I’m not a brain surgeon or an aerospace engineer. Not because I’ve never considered those vocations, but simply put, my abilities would not have matched the demand of the tasks. I’m very okay with that truth. Are you?
As I grow older and richer in my need for and understanding of grace, I don’t take the above thought as a downer, on the contrary, I take it as realistic and fact. If I’ve always been a C and B level student, it’s more than likely I would not have made it into med school or the like. Oh it’s not that I’m not smart, I simply didn’t have the abilities to go where that level of scholarship and skill require, therefore God did not give me the resources to go that way.
But what God did do was resource me according to my abilities. For that I’m eternally grateful and content.
As a result, my hope in the coming days is that I can help you to make small shifts in your thinking and feeling. I’m not suggesting that anything I might write or say will ultimately change your destiny, but what I am saying is that if I can shim up your thinking on a matter, maybe, just maybe, I can be part of the divine process of direction change or course correction (one degree can make a huge difference). The end result will be between you and God, but I find great joy in influencing your heart and mind for the good.
Some might call that a paradigm shift, others might call it bologna, but either way I hope to cause some positive influence for some of you. Call it my twenty cents worth of influence or call it a pair-of-dimes shift for the better, either way that’s my goal.
Love to all of you. Anybody seen my twenty cents?
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