Gifted

     I had almost purchased a similar apron months before.  My Aunt is a talented seamstress and handed me a gorgeous red and white floral apron in a vintage pattern.  It crossed in the back and was exactly what I had been browsing for over the last few months.  While I was captured by how cute and retro the piece was, I was most touched by my Aunt explaining she had prayed for me as she made the apron. 
     Anyone who has met my Aunt would not have been surprised by any of these details.  She is known for thoughtful homemade touches (like yummy granola and I am a huge fan of her breakfast muffins), but it is the moments where she reveals her love of God and people which stick with me the longest.
     On my drive home Sunday night I felt a tug on my heart, what was I doing to pour into others?  Scripture tells us, "There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all.  There are difference kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord.  God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us.  A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (emphasis mine)."  My Aunt had taken a gift of praying and matched it with the talent of sewing to bless myself and other women in our family. 
     Giving doesn't always come easy to me, especially when it is my time.  I hoard those silent moments of solitude as if they were currency, and any person with a full schedule knows that sigh of relief which comes with a section of time carved out for peace.  There is nothing wrong with quiet moments, as Jesus himself would withdraw from people to reconnect with God.  The problem is, I don't always head back into the fray after taking the time. 
     There are days I want quiet time to go on for another hour...or another week.  Yet there is a need for me and for you.  We have been created for something special, given a particular gift, that only we can give.  Lysa TerKeurst in her new book Uninvited writes, "There is an abundant need in this world for your brand of beautiful."  Say it out loud.  Say it often!  You have something beautiful to share with this world, and God has placed it inside of you with the intention you give it away.  Not always easy, but, friends, so necessary.  Our world desperately needs more of God and more beauty.  Find one way to light up your sphere, that shows the depths of who God is, and give it away.