Bringing Your Gifts
“Go far enough on the inner journey, they all tell us---go past ego toward true self---and you end up not lost in narcissism but returning to the world, bearing more gracefully the responsibilities that come with being human.”
“..I lead by word and deed simply because I am here doing what I do. If you are also here, doing what you do, you also exercise leadership of some sort.”
Parker Palmer
Let Your Life Speak
All of us are born with particular gifts and talents. Some of us even know what they are, and are able to parlay them into paying jobs. But whether our gifts and talents are such that they ‘pay off’ or not, we are still intended to use them in service to the human family. Whatever our unique gifts and talents, they are not ours to merely entertain and gratify ourselves, they are meant to fulfill a need in the world.
I have a friend who is mentally ill and has been since childhood. Before he was diagnosed and treated he had profound paranoid delusions that terrified and crippled him. Even after he received treatment, years passed before his doctors found the right combination of medications that would allow him to confront the world everyday without fear. Today, he is an artist and a seminar leader for the Nation Alliance on Mental Illness. He has deep compassion born out of his experience that draws people to him, and his is the gentlest heart of anyone I know. Being in his presence is like being with an angel. He doesn’t have to do anything—his gift is simply to be exactly who he is.
Our gifts don’t have to be spectacular to make a difference. It is a matter of giving what is ours to give---a kind word, a smile, a nourishing meal, a song sung, a card written, a comforting touch, a listening ear. Sometimes we don’t have to DO anything at all---we just have to be present and attentive. When was the last time someone gave you their undivided attention? When have you felt truly heard and understood? If you are leading with your spiritual gifts, you will always find followers who need exactly what you have to offer.
In the spirit,
Jane
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