TheHighCalling.org: Gifts and Talents

Develop Your Children's Gifts and Talents (Personal Reflection)

Christopher de Vinck — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:00:00 GMT

When my son was just learning to talk, I carried him around the house in my arms and pointed out things to him. "Look, David, a clock." He'd smile, and point as I did and say "clock."

"This is a flower," and I'd point to a dried flower in the living room. "Flower." David was quick to connect the shape of things to their words and connect the two. Ever since those early tours of the house, David pointed and called out the names of things: cat, fork, pillow.

Cultivating My Son's Curiosity

When my son was about four years old, I remember walking with him to the back yard. We were just filling in some time before dinner: playing catch with a large, balloon-like ball, digging in the sandbox, and then I had an idea. I knew that there was an ant colony under one of the slate stones in the walkway near the shed, so I said to David, "Come on. I want to show you something."

We walked hand and hand out of the sandbox and nearly bounced across the grass. As I showed David the ants that were crawling around the slate stone, he crouched down on his legs and looked with great intensity at the ants.

"Now, watch this."

I dug my fingers under the lip of the flat, gray stone and slowly pulled it back to reveal the exposed tunnels of the ants. They were carrying white sacks, scurrying back and forth, hundreds of ants, and David looked and looked, and then he turned to me and said with delight, "There are so many!"

For days after that, David wanted to look under every rock in the garden, and we often found worms, ants, larva. I recognized that David loved to look at things closely and observe how things moved, and so I continued to point things out to him as he grew older: planes, shells at the ocean, the texture of the bark on the trees. David was a keen observer of things, and I just gave him the suggestions as to where to look.

From Curiosity at Play to Curiosity at Work

Today David is a medical doctor at Columbia University Medical Center. As a pathologist, he spends much of his workday in a lab looking through a microscope, determining the identity of hundreds of different cells, making a diagnosis, determining the extent of someone's cancer or the progression of a disease.

I did not know that David would someday be a doctor, someone who has to pay close attention to what he sees, and yet I felt compelled when he was a boy to encourage his enthusiasm for observation.

That is what teachers and parents do: encourage a child's enthusiasm for a particular interest: music, swimming, art, reading. And we provide tools for the children.

Discovering Gifts and Talents

I believe that all of us are born with habits of being that we inherited both from our ancestors and from God. A good teacher recognizes those habits in children and guides them towards their own sense of self and destiny.

If a child likes to draw, give him brushes, pens, and paper. If a girl likes to tap on the table top, give her a drum. If a child spontaneously sings, give him a microphone and a Frank Sinatra recording.

Blessed is the child who lives with parents and teachers who recognize the child's interest. An apple seed has the potential to explode into a full tree bearing fruit. With the right cultivation, a child will grow into what he or she was innately born to be.

Questions for personal reflection, online discussion, or small groups:

Read Proverbs 22:6 - "Train up a child in the way he should go [and in keeping with his individual gift or bent], and when he is old he will not depart from it" (AMP).
What is your individual gift? Who helped you find it?
If you have children or work with children, think about their individual gifts. How can you help cultivate their gifts?

Find Work that Fits You (Bible Reflection)

Al Hsu — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

My high school friends were a microcosm of school society. Eric was a photographer and yearbook editor. Ann was a leader in the marching band. Bill was the lead actor in theatre productions. Laura was in the dance line. Jeff was co-captain of the track team. Carol was co-captain of volleyball and synchronized swimming. Dan was in speech and debate.

Me? I lettered in debate and theatre, and I ran track for a while. I also participated in things like academic decathlon and science olympiad. But my senior year, my primary involvement and identity was as an editor for the school newspaper. I had published a poem back in first grade in our school district's poetry compendium, and I had always loved reading and writing. So the school paper became my niche.

Why did my friends and I gravitate to certain interests and not others?

Some of it was parental influence. Teachers and coaches may have encouraged us to try out for certain activities. And, of course, peers had something to do with it. I never would have run track if my friends had not also been on the team. But to a large extent, we all had certain gifts and talents that geared us in some directions rather than others.

Some people distinguish between gifts and talents. They say that gifts are those natural, innate, God-given abilities to excel in certain areas, whether intellectual, artistic, or athletic. And talents might be thought of as skills that can be acquired and learned, regardless of inherent ability. I'm not sure it's quite that clear cut, but I do recognize that people have different gifts and talents.

This seems to have been the case from the very beginning. Genesis 4:2 says that Abel was a keeper of sheep and Cain a tiller of the ground. We don't know why they differentiated as they did; perhaps Adam and Eve assigned them these tasks arbitrarily, and they learned to do them. Or maybe as children Abel always loved animals, while Cain was a budding agriculturalist. We have no idea. But either way, they were shaped and formed to particular vocations.

Later, Genesis 4 mentions others who differentiated their work based on particular giftedness or interests. Jabal is described as the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. His brother Jubal was the ancestor of those who play the lyre and pipe. And Tubal-Cain made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. We know next to nothing of these folks, but we can surmise that Jubal was a skilled musician and that Tubal-Cain was a skilled metalworker. Could they have traded places and careers? Perhaps. But the fact that they are recorded with these particular traits suggests that they excelled in those areas.

The New Testament likewise shows that we all have different gifts and interests. Acts 6 notes that some were called to serve in the distribution of food while others were devoted to prayer and ministries related to the Word of God. Romans 12:4 says, "For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function." Ephesians 4 and 1 Corinthians 12 list a variety of gifts that Christians might have.

Books like Parker Palmer's Let Your Life Speak and David Benner's The Gift of Being Yourself encourage us to listen to our lives and discern how God has gifted us and shaped us. None of us can do everything. But all of us can do something. The key is to do things that are consistent with how we are gifted. Not all that we do will line up entirely with any job or career. But the greater the overlap between our giftedness and our work, the more satisfaction we are likely to have.

My high school friends ended up in a variety of careers and vocations. Yearbook editor Eric is now a physics teacher. Marching band leader Ann is a nursing educator. Track captain Jeff is an Air Force fighter pilot. Bill is an actor in New York City, and Dan uses his public speaking skills as a campus minister. While I have not run anything close to a 400-yard dash in decades, I am still an editor, working in the publishing industry, and I still find satisfaction and fulfillment through the crafting and shaping of words.

May we all find work that fits who we are and how God created us to be.

Passed Over (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Winners can celebrate. But what about people who run the race, compete—and lose? Writer Al Hsu tells about two candidates in the Bible: Barsabbas and Matthias, two loyal believers who were being considered to join the apostles.

The lot fell to Matthias. And the question is: where did that leave Barsabbas? As a mature believer, very likely Barsabbas knew that this loss released him to serve God in another way. Al Hsu reminds us that throughout history, many candidates who were disappointed at the ballot box went on to serve in impressive, innovative ways.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Losing is not the last thing you do. Disappointment is not destiny. Your determination is destiny—in the high calling of our daily work.

Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:4)

Of Change and Passion (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 06:00:00 GMT

For twenty years, Tom ministered to the poor. Now he writes musicals. His second musical recently went to the Lincoln Center's showcase of new works.

Lamar spent 30 years in financial services. He just signed a contract with a New York publisher for his second book.

Mark and Kitty enjoyed their careers in sales and counseling. Now they're building new homes. They just broke ground on their third project in one of the nation's strongest real estate markets.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. Career change may be radical or mild. But whatever God takes you from or to, I believe that the work you do today—and how you do it—also prepares you for the passion that you pursue tomorrow . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

The lot is cast into the lap,
but its every decision is from the LORD. (Prov. 16:33)

A Godly Place to Sit (Bible Reflection)

Jon Swanson — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT

My friend and I were meeting at church for a time of personal accountability. So we sat in some chairs in one of the large "milling around" spaces.

He said, "I love to sit in these chairs."

The chairs are nice enough. They have fabric seats and wooden arms and would fit very well in a coffee house. They are perfect "big public space" chairs. I like them, but I don't love to sit in them.

"I love to sit in these chairs," my friend insisted. "Wakefield makes the arm caps."

Suddenly, I understood what he was saying. Brian runs Wakefield, the company that supplies part of the armrest—the arm cap—for the chairs. His company doesn't do anything else for the chairs; they don't make the legs, or the framework or the fabric. They are not part of the overall design process. All they do is make the arms.

And he loves the chairs.

One day, the Apostle Paul wrote a letter to a church he'd never visited. He loved the group of people because he loved the one who taught them. He knew they were growing; he knew they were working to figure out what following Jesus really means . And he told them, "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Col. 3:23).

Paul could have been talking about Brian. He has committed himself to learning every day what it means to do everything, including running a wood company, in the name of Jesus. Brian loves his business, cares about his employees, and he is rightfully pleased to be part of a great product.

Of course, Brian is human and faces the challenges that all managers face. He sometimes has to ask forgiveness. He sometimes struggles with exactly what to say. Sometimes he has to let people go. He prays often during his day. But he ends up with chairs that he loves to sit in.

The more I thought about Brian, the more I had to examine the way I approach my own work. When people take what I supply and fold it into their own product or service or setting, do I love the end result? Or am I fearful that the quality of my part is shabby or am I complaining that they used it wrong or am I jealous that no one will know what I did because someone else's name is on it?

Brian and I sat and talked out our lives that night, confessing to each other, praying for each other. The chairs, with their Brian-built arms, made a perfect place to give thanks to God.

Because of Brian, I love those chairs too.

Questions for Reflection:

Read Col. 3:23 again: "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." Think about the product or service that you provide in your daily work. How does it honor God?
Who helps you in your work? Do you take pride in the end result of the team, or only your own portion?
How can we approach the people around us with a spirit of encouragement rather than a spirit of complaint or jealousy?

Less Valuable and More Serious – Work and Life as a Sketch (Personal Reflection)

Scot McKnight — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Julian Barnes, an atheist, claims that he '"misses God.'" In the midst of his reflections on a life without faith wracked by a haunting fear of death, Barnes reflects on the impact belief in heaven would make on his every day working life. '"But if life is viewed as a rehearsal, or a preparation, or an anteroom . . . then it [our present life] becomes at the same time less valuable and more serious.'" It appears that Barnes, if he were to believe in God and a heaven, would see life now as speck of time swallowed into eternity. Therefore, our life now is '"less valuable.'" But because there would be an eternity, life now would become '"more serious'" because what we do now matters for eternity. But, as Barnes puts it, he misses God and therefore he misses a life that is shaped by eternity.

The believing Roman Catholic British novelist, J.R.R. Tolkien of The Lord of the Rings fame neither missed God nor eternity. Were Tolkien alive, he might counter Barnes and argue that our lives now are '"both more valuable and more serious.'" In a typical manner, Barnes confuses Christian belief in heaven with Platonism. Plato believed our bodies and earthly lives really don’t matter and that what really matters is our immortal soul. Such a mistaken view of Christianity alone makes life on earth '"less valuable.'" We dare not underestimate how a Platonic worldview affects our view of work. There is a better Christian way, and Tolkien worked it out for us in a short story called Leaf by Niggle, a wonderful tale about a little silly man named '"Niggle.'"

I love this story, and I can only hope that my brief summary of the plot will lead you to obtain a copy through your local library or through some used bookstore and make the story your own.

Niggle was single, and he lived next to the Parish family in an out of the way place. The lame Parish and his needy wife were demanding and ungrateful neighbors. Niggle’s passion in life was to paint leaves, but his kindhearted nature made him a likely person on whom others relied. He wasn’t always happy about his willingness to help Parish and others—by patching roofs and running errands—but he helped anyway, sometimes with a curse under his breath. Most importantly for Niggle, these interruptions kept him from getting his leaves painted. Like Barnes and the Christian tradition, Niggle knew death was coming. Tolkien describes death as a future '"troublesome journey'" with a '"Driver'" who will take him into the next life.

Tolkien’s sketch of Niggle’s daily passion, his painting, opens up for us a powerful image of how to see our work. Niggle, he observes, '"was the sort of painter who can paint leaves better than trees. He used to spend a long time on a single leaf,'" he adds. But one of Niggle’s paintings began with a leaf caught in the wind, and then it became a tree with '"fantastic roots,'" and then a country began to develop behind it, and there was a forest and mountains with snow.

Niggle’s Driver came. After his death, Niggle spent some time working in an intermediary place until a Porter took him to heaven itself.

It is here that the genius of Tolkien’s theory of work, and I would like to say a genuinely Christian theory of work, comes to life. Niggle receives a bicycle and he goes '"bowling downhill in the sunshine'" until he realizes the turf under him reminds him of another '"sweep of grass.'" Then he sees the '"Tree, his Tree, finished.'" It is the Tree he '"had so often felt or guessed, and had so often failed to catch.'" He sees it all as a gift. Ah, the leaves—they were all there, as he had imagined them but never been able to paint quite right. Some were there that had only budded in his mind. The Forest, too, as well as the Mountains—they were all there. (And Tolkien’s use of capital letters shows just how important and serious his earlier labors were, but now they stood there in reality, utterly perfect.) Niggle learns that this little piece of heaven is called '"Niggle’s Picture'" and Parish will be with him, and Parish will live in '"Parish’s Garden.'" Over time all that remained on earth was a corner from one of Niggle’s paintings. The folks hung it in a museum: '"Leaf: by Niggle.'" As if to make mortality fully clear, Tolkien tells us that the museum burned down one day.

Perhaps the most magnificent dimension of Tolkien’s vision is that Niggle continued to paint, and he found more to paint as he got nearer and nearer to the borders of his picture. The theology here is a theology of work: what we do now is a glimpse of what we will do then. What we do now prepares us to do what we will do then. What we do now will become the raw materials of what we will do then. What we do now, however incomplete and however below even our own standards, will one day be swallowed up into God’s redemptive perfection and our work will radiate with God’s own glory. The notion that heaven, and I’d prefer to call it the New Heavens and the New Earth, is simply singing in a heavenly choir and that we will float from one praise service to another and that our bodies and jobs will all be left behind is Platonism. That view is not biblical.

Recently Tom Wright, in his stunningly helpful book Surprised by Hope, makes the case for a massive continuity—much like Niggle’s discovery—between this life and the New Heavens and the New Earth. That continuity alone renders what we do now as both more serious and more important than perhaps we realize. Tolkien tells that story of continuity and perfection in the story of Niggle and his painting of leaves.

Let us paint the leaves God inspires in us. Let us also know that what we do now matters and let us do all to the glory of God, for one day those tasks will unfold into what God designed them to accomplish. Let us also know that our frustrations and our imperfections and our failings to realize what we think God wants to do through us now will be perfected someday. Let us know, therefore, that what we do now is a gift from God and that it

Gifts and Talents (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Recently, we received a request for helping people identify and use their spiritual gifts and talents. The request included resources outside TheHighCalling.org. We put together a list of resources we thought might be helpful and sent them to honor the request.

Below are the list of resources we passed along. We thought they might be useful to the users of TheHighCalling.org. The first two are links to online spiritual gifts assessment tools. Following that list is a few resources from our website that may be helpful. Finally, there is a book we think is useful.

http://archive.elca.org/evangelizingChurch/assessments/spiritgifts.html

http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.1355371/k.9501/Spiritual_Gifts.htm

Some resources on TheHighCalling.org:

Discover Your Gifts, Discover Your Calling, by Bill Peel

http://www.thehighcalling.org/Library/ViewLibrary.asp?LibraryID=4986

Have You Unwrapped God's Gifts? by Ginger Geyer

http://www.thehighcalling.org/Library/ViewLibrary.asp?LibraryID=4359

Recognizing Divine Confirmation and Calling, by John Lewis

http://www.thehighcalling.org/Library/ViewLibrary.asp?LibraryID=3293

Body Parts and Church Functions, by Harold Fickett

http://www.thehighcalling.org/Library/ViewLibrary.asp?LibraryID=190

A couple of useful books are Discover Your Destiny by Bill and Kathy Peel; Live your Calling by Kevin and Kay Marie Brennfleck

What Is Social Media? (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:00:00 GMT

This is an excellent explanation of social media by Chris Cree. He helps us run the HighCallingBlogs network. We're trying to improve our social media connections and want to help users of TheHighCalling.org be comfortable and knowledgeable as we move ahead.

Void Where Prohibited (Bible Reflection)

Robert Hruzek — Sun, 31 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

You know what "the fine print" means, don't you?

It's that ridiculously dense paragraph you find on coupons or contest notices, usually in a font so tiny you need a 40X magnifier to read. Or, in the case of TV or radio, it's those 853 lightning-fast words they rattle off in the last four seconds of a commercial.

Often called a disclaimer, it's the detailed listing of every conceivable circumstance in which whatever you want to do—whether it's to enter a contest, get 82% off your purchase, or obtain multiple items for the price of one—can somehow be disallowed. Adding insult to injury, they're usually written in legalese, a language most of us don't even speak!

The disclaimer I find most puzzling, though, is "void where prohibited." It makes me wonder what possible circumstances would make it illegal for me to, say, win fifty bucks or to finally attain that Holy Grail of fast food: five giant Bubba Burgers for a dollar? How could something so innocuous be so wrong? Is there some vast shadowy organization out there whose sole purpose of existence is to prohibit folks like me from getting a good deal?

Rules and Regulations

There's no doubt about it, my friends; life is all about rules and regulations. Do this; don't do that—it's a full-time job keeping track, isn't it? The irony is, even if you can get all you want—of whatever it is you're after—you may find, like the kid in the candy store, that too much of a good thing really isn't so great after all.

But what if I could point you toward something that is never void, and never, ever prohibited? That's right; you can have as much as you want! Wouldn't you be interested? If so, then read what the Apostle Paul wrote in the fifth chapter of his letter to the Galatians:

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." (Gal. 5:22-23; emphasis mine)

The Fruit of the Spirit

So what exactly is the fruit of the Spirit?

Perhaps best described as character traits of the Spirit-led Christian, they are positive, desirable qualities God desires to produce in us as we grow in him. Here's what I find most amazing: we don't even have to develop them ourselves; he promises to grow them in us, if we'll just follow him.

It's no accident that Paul uses the metaphor of a fruit tree; it's a beautifully clear picture of how God grows these qualities in us. After all, have you ever seen an orange tree strain mightily to produce an orange? Of course not! It's an inherent characteristic—orange trees, when planted in good soil, just naturally produce oranges.

The fruit of the Spirit comes about in the same manner: Christians who live and grow in Christ just naturally produce fruit. It's the way he made us!

Alas, the truth of this passage painfully smacks me in the face. Do I personally exhibit these characteristics in my daily life? Do the folks I work with know I'm a walking fruit stand? Do I bless folks around me by my words and actions? And even beyond the workplace, what about folks I encounter at the restaurant, at the corner store, or at the garage?

Note, too, how Paul points out "there is no law" against these things. That's good news, because it means here is something for which there is no fine print! You won't have to drag out a magnifying glass, break out your legal dictionary, or even listen closely so you won't miss anything. When it comes to the fruit of the Spirit, you'll never have to wonder if they're "void where prohibited."

It begs the question, though, doesn't it? If all we have to do is let God do it, then what's stopping us?

What To Do With Vocational Honors? (Bible Reflection)

Jonathan Dodson — Sun, 24 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

Nothing beats an honest day's work, so the saying goes. In an age of unethical business schemes and get-rich-quick internet commerce delusions, an honest day's work is harder to come by. The new saying might go something like: "Nothing beats a quick, lucrative day's work."

But there is a vocational reward greater than wealth or honor, a reward grasped centuries ago by St. Augustine. In Confessions, he writes: "I looked with longing at honors, wealth and marriage, and you laughed at me." Does God laugh at our longing for honor and wealth and relationships?

Imprisoning Honors

Augustine was an immensely successful teacher and rhetorician, but he felt imprisoned by his awards and recognition. Is it possible that these honors are inherently bad or oppressive? A glowing review, a congratulatory comment, published research, or an endorsed product? It seems right to recognize goodness in some person—a purple heart for a soldier wounded in battle recognizes courage and self-sacrifice, noble qualities indeed. I think of remarks I have received after a sermon, emails regarding articles I have written, comments on a blog post. Have I been ensnared by these honors, awards, and recognitions? What was it about Augustine's honors that imprisoned him?

False Joys

Augustine continues his reflections by describing an encounter with a beggar, whose fleeting happiness over a few coins outweighed the joy of Augustine's ambitious plans. Augustine sees in his own efforts a joy that was "much more false" than the beggar's financial delight. The beggar was "free from care, while [Augustine] was full of fear."

Every day I drive by homeless beggars on our highways, often cynically imagining how stress-free their jobs are, as they hold up signs that read "Why lie? I want a beer." I then reflect on the stress—dare I say fear—many of us carry due to the demands of our jobs and employers. We are consumed with pleasing people at work and in life, while at the same time fearing that we might displease them. What's worse is that very often the "them" we aim to please are anonymous.

What was so wretched in Augustine's soul that required a spiritual freedom? Was it his honors for fine learning, teaching, and instructing? If not, what was it about his honors that bound him, leading him down the path of falsehood and soul-wrenching deception? His fear led him to take pleasure in winning approval of men "not to instruct them, but only to please them." Augustine's heart was imprisoned by lesser affections, by his inordinate desire to please men over God. He looked "with longing at honor, wealth, and marriage," expecting these from men not God.

Toward True Joy

Do we take hollow comfort and empty joy in anonymous approval of those around us? Do we fear that we will not be honored or rewarded for our performance or appearance? All too often my joy rises and falls with the numbers of compliments I receive, comments on my blog, or recognition by a colleague, spouse, or friend. Our longings and desires rest too firmly upon the approval or rejection of finite men and not in the unfathomable pleasure of an infinite, loving, accepting God. With Augustine, we seek only to please men, not instruct them.

How can we move toward true joy? What do we do with the honors we receive? How do we avoid making compliments a basis for our confidence?

•   Identify the particular recognition that can imprison your soul. Think about the kind of recognition you cherish most. Who does it come from? What does it look like?

•   Receive recognition without cherishing it. Accept the compliment without savoring it for significance.

•   Deflect the honor and recognition to God. Give him the credit for your performance, since we are to glorify God in whatever we do (1 Cor. 10:31).

•   Repent where you have cherished the honors of men over honoring God. Exercise faith in God's all-sufficient love and grace as the only place your soul is satisfied.

•   Rejoice in the privilege of work, the favorable results, and the greatness of God to give you the capacity to produce God-honoring results.

Nothing beats an honest day's work, especially when we are honest about who is worthy of the credit for our honorable work. By pointing away from ourselves to the strength, creativity, and wisdom of our Creator, vocational honors can be a reminder of the sufficiency of the gospel for our significance. When we identify and deflect honors that woo us, we can learn to rejoice in God's grace, not man's compliments.

The Woodpecker (Audio)

Howard E. Butt, Jr. — Sun, 17 May 2009 06:00:00 GMT

A woodpecker can peck 20 times a second. A second. And if you think that little jackhammer gives you a headache, think of his cranial strain. But no . . . a woodpecker's skull has extra air pockets to cushion his brain.

Even nature teaches us a workplace truth: when God gives us work, he equips us to do it.

This is Howard Butt, Jr., of Laity Lodge. At the start of my career, I knew how I wanted God to use me. But my way gave me headaches. If I could go back now and tell my younger self an important truth about work—I'd point to the woodpecker and say: when it's right, he'll give you what you need . . . in the high calling of our daily work.

God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need , you will abound in every good work. (2 Cor. 9:8)

Workplace Gifts and Ice Cream Flavors (Personal Reflection)

Emilie Griffin — Sun, 26 Apr 2009 06:00:00 GMT

When I first began to practice the life of prayer in a very intentional way, I was working in a major advertising agency in New York City. You probably wouldn't have thought about it as a spiritual place, but it took up a large segment of my life. And a very creative life it was too. I loved my job in spite of the anxieties I often felt. I had to meet deadlines, satisfy expectations, and convince other people to choose the best of several campaigns I was proposing.

At that time, I was eager for a closer relationship to God. I did small things—and large things—to come closer to the life of grace. I prayed. I looked for times of solitude and silence. I went to church often. Sometimes I made retreats. Daily I read favorite Bible passages, especially from the Psalms and the Gospels.

At one point, I came across the notion of spiritual gifts. Some are described in Galatians 5:22: "the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Later in the same passage I read, "let us be guided by the Spirit." Earlier in the Scriptures, in Isaiah 11, I found a description of the spirit of the Lord: "the Spirit of wisdom and understanding, the Spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord." I was struck by these two lists, which seemed like descriptions of the transformed person. I wrote them down on a three-by-five card and kept it with me as a reminder. These were the qualities I wanted to have. My husband referred to them as my Baskin-Robbins ice cream flavors.

I loved his light remark. But I understand that these qualities can't be ordered by the scoop. They really are gifts. We don't acquire them. They come to us by grace.

Even so, I think we can sometimes spot these gifts in the workplace. Possibly it isn't so easy to see them in ourselves, as in the fellow workers or managers that we admire. One of the most inspiring figures in my own work-life was my mother, Helen Russell Dietrich. She founded and ran three different companies—relatively small ones—and she always envisioned her work in terms of the benefit to others and not to herself. One of the things I noticed about her was her humanity in dealing with members of her staff. When an older woman applied for a job, my mother would sometimes create a job that suited her particular talents. And this was the way she behaved with staffing over time. She noticed another person's talents and tried to make space for them. I had a chance to observe her warm personal style at close range. I worked as a consultant to her firms through much of my adult life, and directly under her, as Executive Vice President, for two years. I knew many of her coworkers and members of her staff. I knew how much they admired her and how she influenced them in positive ways.

My mother rarely talked about her faith. She would probably never have made a Baskin-Robbins list of spiritual gifts. Yet the warmth of her personality told me something about how she relied on God for everything. She often turned to the Bible in difficult moments or when hard decisions had to be made. I don't think she saw her spiritual gifts as a result of her faithfulness. No. It was the other way around. God gave her generous scoops of his grace. And she expressed her thanks whenever she opened the Bible to a passage she loved.

Creativity or Being Like Everyone Else? (Ramblin' Dan)

Dan Roloff — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 06:00:00 GMT