"It is love, then, that you should strive for. Set
your hearts on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of proclaiming God's message ... the
one who proclaims God's message speaks to people and gives them help, encouragement, and
comfort." I have a history of mediocrity. In high school I got good grades, but
not as good as some. I had a large circle of friends, but I did not count any of the
popular kids, the cheerleaders, or jocks amongst my closest friends. I wasn't particularly
athletic, I played on the school tennis team, but fell short of getting the points I
needed to get a letter sweater. I never lead a cheer or shook a pom-pom. I didn't know how
to play an instrument or never participated in a drama production.
I moved on to college where I struggled to maintain passing grades while working full
time. But something began to happen to me during those college years. I fell in love with
a dashing dark haired young man, and in my efforts to impress him, I began running. I
shocked myself when I found that I could easily run five miles. As I completed college, I
found I had a new confidence in myself. I began to notice that I did, in fact, have some
gifts.
Today, I know that I do have some gifts (yes, I'm the lady who can cut anything out of
construction paper, the craft lady, and someone who loves being with people, especially
kids). They are not gifts that I will be famous for, but they are gifts that allow me to
share my love of God and faith with others. They are gifts that could seem insignificant,
but I am learning that no gift is insignificant.
