Each day during the  month of March we will be sharing a devotional from a booklet written by Steve Love. Steve is a member of Canton First and a Traumatic Brain Injury survivor. If you would like a complete PDF of this devotional, it can be downloaded here.

Day 30

1 Peter 4:10 (New International Version)

 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.

     “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others.”  Everyone has a talent they can share with those around them.  Some believe they process no talents, but they are mistaken.  Talent is more then the ability to act, sings, or paints.  Our society forces on those who process the talents to entertain us but there are other types of talents we can share. 

     What is your talent?  One of the sad parts of a brain injury, it can attack the brain in a vital part of the brain that controls somebody talent.  I have a friend Mark who had a tumor remove on the lower right side of his brain.  Before his brain tumor he played in a band; music was a large part of his life.  The gift of music and the ability to share that gift he presses was removed from him.  I know he miss playing in a band and would love to be able to share that talent with the world.  That one talent was taken from him, but he stills has talents to share with the world.

     Mark might to be able to share music with the world around him, but he has other gifts that are vital part of his interactions with other.  He knows a lot about computers and is willing to help others to solve their computer problems. This is a talent and I know those the help appreciate the help he renders them.  Mark also has a wonderful way when he talks to people that makes them feel comfortable and helps them to open to be able to share with a group.  He had been wonderful blessing to have in our local support group.

    There are many talents we process we can share.  Some know how to fit items around the home and the car.  A mechanic has a gift that has a great impact on the world around him.  When you watch one from the window that gives you an opening to the shop, you can see those who are virtuoso when it comes to our car.  The same holds true for those who are plumbers, electricians, carpenters, semesters, cooks, doctors, and the list goes on and on.  Each any everyone has some type of talent they can share, and a brain injury does not have to bring an end to our sharing our talents. 

     In the 1970’s a saying was use by many of the Christian teenagers, “The only ability God ask of you is your avidities.”  That what Peter was addressing our avidities to use the God given talents we process;” to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”   We have a responsibility to use our talents and having a brain injury is no excuse we can use when dealing with God.

     Many are afraid to share their talents.  They are afraid that other will laugh and make fun of them.  Many fail to see their talents as a talent they must share with others.  There are many of excuse we feed ourselves trying to justify to ourselves why we are not sharing with others and making a different in their lives.  That is the truth, and it goes for both, the ones who are living with a brain injury and those who do not live with a brain injury.

 Pray and thank God for the talents we still process and can share.

Pray and thank God for those who share their talents with us.

Pray and ask God to help us to discover the talents God give us and the means to use them to make a different in the lives of those around us.