Romans 12:6-8 (New Living Translation)
6 God has given each of us the ability to do certain
things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out when
you have faith that God is speaking through you. 7 If your gift is that of
serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, do a good job of
teaching. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, do it! If you have money,
share it generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the
responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to
others, do it gladly.
As the silver-haired woman walked up the long drive, she
could see him peering through the window. Every day it was the same thing; she
would come to clean up the house and he would just sit there in his wheel chair
staring out the window. Oh, he could speak alright, but I suppose he simply
chose not to. And who could blame him? Ever since the accident five years ago,
the once familiar faces that used to fill this large home with life began to
slowly drift away, much like his once positive attitude.
"Good morning, sir", Helen, the housekeeper
stated as she walked through the door.
Charles, the thirty-five-year-old paraplegic whose house
it was, grunted.
"Cat got your tongue again today, sir?"
Retorted Helen coyly as she began to put away the dishes on the counter.
Again Charles simply grunted and continued to stare out
the window.
The day progressed and Helen went about dusting,
polishing, sweeping and washing. It was a particularly dreary afternoon due to
what seemed like an all-day rain. Feeling her mood drop a little, and knowing
how much a good ditty raised her spirits, Helen turned on the radio, going from
station to station in an effort to find just the right song. Just as she found
a lively polka, suddenly a loud roar pierced the melodic tones coming from the
radio.
"Turn that garbage off!" Demanded Charles, his
face contorted with anger.
Helen was so caught off guard by the sudden strong
display of emotion that, in her attempt to quickly turn the radio off, she
accidentally broke the nob completely off. With polka music now blaring, Helen
momentarily stood expressionless. Then, all of a sudden, her lip began to
crinkle, and then tremble, and from the depths of her belly came the most
delightful and prolonged laugh! Glancing over, Helen could not believe her
eyes! Her wheel chair-bound boss was also chuckling heartily!
Upon composing themselves and unplugging the radio,
Charles used his eyes to motion for Helen to come near him. Helen knelt near
his wheel chair to ensure that they could face one another.
"I am so very sorry for yelling at you, Helen",
stated Charles as he stared intensely at the elderly woman's face. "I dont
know what came over me, not just at that moment, but ever since I've been a
prisoner to this wheel chair. Hearing the music was yet another cruel and
painful reminder of what I have lost, and never will have again.
Helen didn't say a word, but merely held Charles' limp
hand and listened.
"At one time I used to love music, dancing, reading,
and the arts in general. All of that died when I became paralyzed. Look at my
life now. I have nothing."
Tears began to roll from Charles eyes. Helen let go of
Charles' hand, and began to dig through her purse, immediately grasping a tiny
framed picture.
"Look at this picture, and tell me what you
see", she quietly asked Charles as he looked at her puzzled.
"It's blank. Nothing is there. It's just
white", replied Charles.
Helen smiled subtly, and said, "Oh no, sir. It is a
beautiful snow fall, or perhaps it is a fluffy white cotton ball, or a crisp
white bed sheet hanging outside on a line outside to dry." She continued,
"That picture is like ones life. Either it can remain a blank canvas, or
we can make something beautiful and meaningful out of it. The choice is
ours."
"No, said Charles, I didn't have a choice. My choice
was stolen away!"
Helen smiled again and quietly replied, "I beg to
differ, sir. You still have choices, but you just need to be a bit more
creative by digging a little deeper, so that you can see what those choices
might be."
Charles now clung to her every word. "I don't
understand what you mean. Please explain."
Helen thought a moment; then her eyes lit up. "You
like music and dancing, right, sir?"
"No, I USED to enjoy dancing to good music!"
Abruptly stated Charles.
"No, sir, if you loved it once, you will still love
it, but remember what I said; be creative!" Stated Helen assuredly, and
she moved his one good finger over the switch that made his electric wheel
chair move. She then walked over to the radio and plugged it back in to the
wall, the robust polka music still playing. Up and down went the click of Charles' switch, and back and forth went his wheel chair. Charles smiled
richly, then clicked the tiny lever to the right, then left, and round and
round went his wheel chair!
"Look, Helen! I'm dancing! I'm dancing to the
music!"
Helen nodded, grinning from ear to ear as she reached
over to momentarily stop Charles' chair from moving two and fro.
"There's more, sir", stated Helen.
"Remember how, before your accident, you always used to say that you loved
being around little children because they were so full of promise? Well, there
is no reason why you can't still live out that dream by being a little
creative. You may not be able to push a child on a swing at the playground, but
the local library has been searching high and low for someone to fill the
part-time position of storyteller in the children's reading room."
For the first time in a very long time, within Charles
eyes, Helen could see life and hope. She did all she could to keep herself from
crying at that moment; however, these would be tears of joy.
With new, bright eyes, Charles asked, Helen, "how
did you get to be so wise?"
Helen looked down to her arm, and slowly began pulling up
her sleeve, soon to reveal tiny numbers permanently marked on her skin.
"You see, sir, when I was a little girl, my entire
family died in a concentration camp. I was the only survivor, and I had no one,
not even an aunt or uncle. Like you, I felt like I had everything important
taken away from me, and my future seemed very bleak. A kind couple adopted me
shortly after that, and while I still missed and loved my family, I came to also
love them. They showed me that we all are special in God's eyes, and that we
also have special gifts that we need to discover and use so that we can help
others. It is this circle of giving and receiving that life is all about.
Through this I was able to experience joy again."
Helen then reached into her purse again to fumble with
the tiny framed picture.
"They are the ones who gave me the tiny white
picture many years ago, and before I left for college they told me that what
that picture reflects is up to ME."
Charles sat motionless, once again staring momentarily
out the window, then stated with new found resolution, "Helen, tomorrow is
going to be a brand new day; the beginning of my new life!"
Christ has given each of us special abilities and it is
up to us to use these gifts for the good of mankind. For some people, that gift
might be the ability to be a teacher, good public speaker, author, doctor or
nurse. For others, it might be someone who has a special way of dealing with
and helping people. Perhaps your gift is to be a day care provider, or retired
grandparent who volunteers time at the local community center helping young
children to swim. Regardless of what our life circumstances are, God's desire
is not for us to abandon these gifts merely because times may get tough.
Instead, as the above story reflects, He wants for us to be creative and to
find ways to continue on giving in one form or another so that He and His Word
may be glorified.
Dear Lord we thank You for the gifts and talents that You
have given to each of us. We pray today that we would never lose focus because
of our circumstance but that we would continue to reach out to others in creative
ways. In Jesus’ name, Amen.