Sharing the Gift of who we are

Gift giving is part of the Season. We rally to it, mostly enjoy it and sometimes feel the weight of it. Might be a timely reminder that we all bring a gift. Wherever we go, each time we show up, we offer the gift of the life within to those around. Sometimes this is a light and cheery thing. Other times we feel the weight of it, touched by the heaviness of what someone is carrying. And yet, we each bring a gift.

Some of us offer the gift of hospitality. We open our homes, our minds and our hearts. We invite others to church, out for coffee, to go for a walk. This is the pastoral gift in action. Pastors offer the gift of empathy to others. They bring it with them wherever they go and can't help but bless the atmosphere around them by it.

If you have this gift: the ability to open yourself up to others in an easily relatable way, you might already know - you are the hub of your circle. The multitasking listener. The person with time to enter another person's story without ever viewing it as an interruption in your own story. For you, other people's stories are part of your story. You view the human story as one large dramatic undertaking, with God as the ultimate Author and Finisher of the whole. You share this faith in the journey with the people you meet. This brings them peace. They take confidence from your confidence. They learn to trust more. To relax, even to laugh, through whatever story they are living now, as you communicate that their story is part of God's story, just as their story is part of your story. We're all connected. We have one Father, King, and Lord. And this comes through loud and clear at Christmas time, especially through the gift of pastors being free to be themselves: that we are all God's children and there is much to be thankful for, and plenty of goodwill to share.

There are other gifts. But this is the PASTOR'S GIFT: to share, to care, to show up, to pass on the everlasting truth that we are all part of the family of God.

Other gifts we tend to bring include the gift of the Teacher: this is the gift of teaching, discovery, passing on what we know and helping others grow in the areas of knowing they enjoy. You can see this in the way people interact with a teacher-type. There's always learning going on. It's never static. There's an element of sparking the imagination, of challenging people to broaden their horizons. Of getting excited about God's creation and what's possible. Of how we might solve really big problems. And hope for a better tomorrow, today. This is the GIFT OF THE TEACHER: they are eternal optimists largely based on their knowledge of eternity, what God has in store for those willing to look and see and taste and know that he is good, and delights when we discover the wonders the world holds out.

There is also the GIFT OF THE EVANGELIST to watch out for. This is the person rallying others to really great causes, determined to make a difference in the world. These are not invitations to coffee or dinner. These are invitations to change status quo. To rescue the troubled. To invest time and energy in righting the boat. The evangelist is the person with the gift for getting others involved.

These are not gifts that can be wrapped. They come from inside us. We take them wherever we go, and offer them naturally to others; they are authentic to who we are and how we function.

These gifts are part of our spiritual make-up, and should not be denied, but fostered. And so, we pass them on. We watch for them. And, hopefully, we take time to develop them. If this is something you'd like to explore, check out my book '5 Navigators, aligning with your God-given gift' - available on Amazon or through my site: www.daynamazzuca.com.

Two more gifts to watch for: the GIFT OF THE APOSTLE and the gift of the prophet. The Apostle brings the gift of good leadership, professional development, character building and opportunity for adventure. They invite people to think good thoughts. To dream big. To aim for the summit. To do the right thing by others. To be the best they can be; to live and work fully aligned. You'll see this in the quality of gifts they do wrap up. The way they spend time with people intentionally. The personal touch that has that note of challenge to grow in it. You'll see it in the way they believe in people, as children of God who long to prove faithful; to risk for the sake of love; to make the very most of life, this side of heaven. These are all hallmarks of someone with an apostolic gift.

Finally, there's the GIFT OF THE PROPHET. This is the person with the creative, insightful, timely touch. Their interactions are mostly personal and private, but the note they strike is somehow universally applicable and meaningful. This is because of the way they live in time rather than space. They move largely on a spiritual plane because this is where they spend the bulk of their own time. This is the natural outflow of their life choices, the result of their saying yes and amen to God's leading day-to-day. They do wrap up gifts. But mostly it's the feeling behind the gift that counts for them and those they care about; this may not be a large circle, but it's a close one.

These are the five gifts that I see we bring to the table, wherever we are, as a result of what God has gifted us with. These five gifts are noted in Ephesians 4:11; they are different than the gifts of the Magi, and yet have value and worth nonetheless.

These five gifts are worth sharing. And there is value in passing them on. They are a part of who we are and how we function, through giving and receiving, in community, as children of God, each with something to offer that others need. Again, for more on this, if it sparks, visit www.daynamazzuca.com.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and THANKS for the GIFT YOU ARE.