All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. I Cor. 12:11, NRSV
I don’t get to choose the gifts the Spirit gives to me just as I don’t get to choose the color of my eyes. Neither do you. But you and I do get to choose whether we develop our gifts, and whether we offer them to the our faith communities and the world beyond them. We can honor the gifts we receive and the Spirit who gave them; we can honor and do our best to foster the gifts of others. We can trust that the gifts we have are valuable and necessary. We can refrain from comparing the gifts we have to the gifts of others, trusting that they are meant to work together rather than be in competition. We can be grateful.
Something that’s good to keep in mind: gifts make for a holier life, not an easier one.
For me, every time I turned my back on the gifts and tried something else, it didn’t work. I could almost hear the Spirit saying, “OK, Bill, when you get through messing things up, let me know–I’m here for you”. And then “POW” something would happen, an opportunity would present itself, and I was back on track. I think it’s called “divine intervention”. Predeterminism?–hmm.
Thanks, Bill. That feeling of getting off track is hard to describe, but I know it when it comes around. Perhaps a nudge to regain an appreciation for the gifts we received rather than an envy of the ones we didn’t? Peace, Johnna