Wednesday’s Word — Edition 121
August 26, 2015 | My Jottings
“I don’t like it when people minimize their gifts. There is a difference between humility and insecurity, and self-effacement does no one any favors.
We teach our watching children to doubt and excuse and diminish themselves. Do we want our kids to reflect on their mothers and have absolutely no idea what we loved? What we were good at? What got our pulses racing and minds spinning? Don’t we want them to see us doing what we do best?”
~~Jen Hatmaker, in “For the Love”
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I’ve been thinking on these words lately. I’m pretty sure if I got a do-over I would more confidently embrace my gifts instead of minimize them, especially to my daughters.
Friends, what are your thoughts on this?
Julie, yes. I find, unfortunately, in myself, it is easier to minimize gifts than to negotiate the deep tangles of pride and regret regarding our use of my gifts. Ann Voskamp (and again, I thank you for promoting that book to me!) observed that the surest route to genuine humility is active gratefulness. That is exactly right. We can embrace gifts with grateful hearts, and engage those gifts out of the humility of being undeserving recipients. “I am an unprofitable servant.” I am taking that to mean that, whatever I am able to do with my gifts, it will never add to God’s wealth. I cannot profit Him because He is unending abundance already. I love what you think about Julie. Thank you. Love, Diane
You have stated so well what I stuggle with as well, Diane. “Deep tangles” is an apt picture of the kind of pride I came from in my family, and it’s what I hate in myself the most (has caused a lot of destruction). Grateful and not apologetic is the path for receiving and using our gifts, yes. And “He is unending abundance already”….that is a wonderful thing to ponder when my needs from Him are so great. Love to you today, Diane! xoxo
Years ago, I told my husband that I felt the Lord had given me a word for the musicians; “it was time to lay down the talent and pick up the gift”.
I think if we are still believing that what we can do well has anything to do with US, it is still a talent. To lay that talent at His Feet and let Him present it to us as The Gift, changes everything. How could we possibly minimize His Gifting? It becomes about Him, not us. Therefore, we are doing things through Him who strengthens us. Don’t ya just love to brag on Him!!?
Such wise words, full of truth. This is the lens we should be looking out of, Ginny. Thank you! xoxo
Thanks designed for sharing such a fastidious thinking,
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