Well, This Isn't Working
By Matt
My resolution to write more hasn't yielded results better than once a week. I need to think of a better system, maybe writing at home before I get to work would work since I tend to be doing things as soon as I get here these days. I will have to think on this.
Anyways, the opening statement from Nouwen today is kind of strange to me: "A grateful life is one in which you receive your gifts from God and then lift them up, trusting that they will multiply." ("Thank you, sir, may I have another?") I think I find this strange because it's like, wow, thanks, God, now I want more. However, if you go back to the parable of the talents, you see that God entrusts you with these things with the intention that they will grow under your care, so I guess it's not ingratitude, but rather good stewardship.
Last week was my one year anniversary of being at QHPC. A lot of people have gone out of their way to express that they think I'm doing a good job here. When I hear that I really don't know what to say. I know the real story, that there are things I am consistently failing at, things I just don't do as well as I'd like to, and things that I am focusing on that really aren't that important. I don't think I'm putting up a false front, but I have a better idea of what's going on behind the scenes. So, it's hard for me to take those compliments. But this reading is a good reminder that God gives us gifts, things that we are good at, and if we're doing something right, it's by the grace of God, and that is a good thing! Inherent in that is acknowledging where those gifts come from, that same God I just mentioned, and that's enough to keep you humble. So, as I enter this second year at QHPC let my prayer be along the lines of, God, help me to continue to do your work with your gifts well and let those gifts multiply in the lives of the kids that I'm trying to equip so that your kingdom is being built and being built well.
Amen :)
posted by Matt Wiggins @ 10:50 AM
2 Comments:
Wow...talk about a mantra. That's awesome! Congrats on the one-year! Honestly Matt, if your programs are doing half of what I've seen you do, they are taking kids to the next level.
I think the idea of gifts is difficult to grasp (especially when we confuse our affinities and our gifts). I don't think that it is wrong to want our gifts to multiply, provided we want them to multiply for the right reason. As Nouwen said, we must "life them up" in order for them to multiply. We cannot keep them for ourselves or use them for personal gain. These gifts are from God and they are for God.
I think, as a culture, we are ready to accept our God-given gifts (provided of course that they are the ones we want), but we fail to lift them up. We keep our gifts for our own recognition.
In my time at CPC, I have noticed where in my life that I fail to lift my gifts up to God. I have failed to let go of the control of the youth ministry, which has stifled its growth. I have worried too much about the now and not enough about the longevity of the ministry. My eyes have opened to my faults.
And I think this is common in ministry, but all too often when we see our faults, we sweep them under the rug so no one else will know of them. I too have trouble taking compliments regarding the ministries that I lead.
Have you ever tried to create something? Be it a work of art or a novel, when you are the creator, you get lost in the details, trying to make sure that things are the way they should be. But for those who standing back a ways and can see the whole picture or are reading the story, they see the beauty of the completeness. Now, they may never know about the countless hours it took you to get that nose just right or that you searched for days for the right wording for the comparison on the first page, but they will enjoy the outcome and be able to see the overall beauty. The same is true for the ministries that we run.
All I can say is that you are wise beyond your years, Mr. George.
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