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While at the hotel gym this morning and half-paying attention to CNN’s HLN, I saw a clip of a Philadelphia Phillies baseball fan catch a foul ball. This is a once in a lifetime event that most fans never get to experience. Many of us come close but, we seem to be one seat or one row away or we’re too slow bending over and a more nimble fan around us scoops up the baseball.
After the middle-age man caught the ball, he immediately bent over and handed his cherished souvenir to a little girl who appeared to be about two years old who was sitting next to him (I’m assuming that it was his daughter). What did the beautiful little girl do? She did what most children of that age would do when you hand them a small ball. She immediately took the ball and threw it (right back onto the field)!
The gift was gone forever!
What did the man do? He picked up the girl and gave her a huge hug and kiss with a big, beautiful smile on his face that said I LOVE YOU SO MUCH! It was a beautiful expression of unconditional love between a father and daughter. He knew that she had no idea of how much he valued the gift – if only for a second or two.
I began thinking about the cherished gift that the father gave to his daughter and how she innocently rejected the gift because she had no understanding of its value. That thought led me to think about the God-given gifts that we’ve all received at birth and how we sometimes throw them back onto the field.
How do we reject our gifts like the girl rejected the ball? Sometimes we hide the gift and don’t share it with the world. We keep it to ourselves. Sometimes we don’t develop the gift and use it to it’s full potential. Sometimes we give-up on the gift or forget about it like a new sweater that is lost at the bottom of a drawer or in the back of a closet.
What are the unique gifts that you’ve been given that you know that you’ve been hiding, accidentally lost or have never developed up to their potential?
Why not make a list of your special gifts and talents today? After you do, decide how you can share those gifts with your family or your community or turn that special talent into your own business.
You’re getting excited just thinking about it aren’t you? When we fully utilize, nurture, develop and share the special gifts that have been given to us by someone who loves us very much, we feel like we’re living our purpose. We feel like we’re doing what we were meant to do. The smile appears on our face and our heart starts pumping with joy.
There is only one you. Only you have your unique gifts and talents that were hand-delivered, specially wrapped and custom-made especially for you.
Like the catching of the baseball was probably a once-in-a lifetime event, you and I are only certain of today and how we utilize our special gifts today. If we neglected our gifts yesterday, God forgives us like the Father forgave and loves his daughter. We’ve been given the gift of today to manifest our special beauty.
Open the gift today if you’ve left it unopened. Take it out of the drawer or off the shelf if you’ve hidden it away. Consult yourself and give careful thought about how that gift was meant to be used by God and share it with us. You’ve been keeping it to yourself long enough.
