FROM THOSE TO WHOM MUCH IS GIVEN, MUCH IS EXPECTED

By Dr. Lawrence Wilson

All information in this article is educational purposes only. No claims are made for the diagnosis, treatment, prescription or cure of any disease or health condition.

The above is a short version of a saying from the Bible: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required - Luke 12:48.

Some people are given an excellent brain, special abilities or skills, or ample financial resources. Others have a beautiful figure, a sweet smile, amazing parents, or devoted friends. Still others are blessed with creative children, or they stumble upon wonderful knowledge. Life sometimes confers many other gifts or favorable situations upon us.

Many people do not appreciate these gifts. Some even curse their gifts.

WHY USE YOUR GIFTS?

The point of the Bible quote is that these gifts are to be used, and not for selfish gain or self-aggrandizement. They are to be used to benefit others and to brighten up this world.

The reason is that using your gifts and abilities brings lots of good and blessings into your life. It will bring better self-esteem, prosperity, love, friends, and much more.

In contrast, not using them often brings much unhappiness, boredom, depression, and even a lack of safety.

An unusual example. A woman I know has an unusual gift. If you hand her a piece of clothing belonging to a child who is missing or lost, she can close her eyes and, very often, she can locate the child. Sometimes it is not pleasant because the child may have been kidnapped or even killed.

When this woman discovered her gift, she went to work with the local police department to help find missing children. However, after a short time she became scared of her gift, and she quit her police job.

That is when I met her. She was taking a heavy dose of anti-depressant drugs because she had fallen into a deep depression. However, the drugs were not working.

I asked when the depression began. After thinking about it for a moment, she said the depression got bad when she stopped using her gift. Suddenly, she put it all together. “Oh my God”, she said, “I need to use my gift.”

A month later, I heard through a friend of hers that she went back to work finding missing children - and that was the end of her depression.

IS EVERYONE GIVEN GIFTS FROM GOD?

Yes. Plenty! You may not realize yours at this time, but they are there. There are reasons why you are not in touch with your gifts:

- First, you may not have asked in prayer what your gifts are. If this is true for you, please start asking what your gifts are, and what God or Life wants to do with and through you. Do this each day for a few minutes and answers will begin to come to you.

- Your gifts may require more time to develop. At times, patience is needed.

- Your gifts may require more maturity before they become apparent and able to be used. For example, you may need to let go of bad habits such as wasting time, spending too much time shopping, talking on the phone, or reading postings or visiting websites.

- Your gifts may require a special situation that has not yet occurred. However, you need to move toward that situation, if you suspect this. For example, your gifts may have to do with your future children. However, this requires first that you be in a stable marriage and with enough financial security that you feel ready to have children in your life.

- Many gifts need to be developed and honed. For example, you may have a knack for playing an instrument, running a business, or something else. However, you need to get busy learning more and practicing to develop your gift.

- In many cases, you must first improve your health and your thinking, and then your gifts will become apparent and usable. This is critical for many people today.

For this purpose, we recommend a development program. For most people, we are unaware of anything better to improve your brain and your entire health picture.

IS IT GOOD TO HELP OTHERS DEVELOP THEIR GIFTS?

It is, indeed. For parents, teachers and mentors of all kinds, this is worth remembering. Everyone wins when someone finds and develops their gifts. Here is an example.

The delinquent. When this author was 20, He worked at a children’s summer camp. The owner was a social worker who often brought in troubled children for the summer.

One of these was a 14-year-old who had been thrown out of several high schools for fighting with other boys. The camp director warned us, the counselors, that he did not know how the young man would fare at camp.

Almost immediately, a problem arose. The young man just wanted to go fishing all day, every day. He did not want to participate in any sports or other camp activities - which were required. Even if he was allowed to just fish, there were not enough counselors to watch him all day.

A meeting of the counselors was held and the group nervously decided that we would try letting him just sit by the lake and fish. Counselors would check on him now and then.

The experiment worked better than anyone imagined! Within several weeks, some younger children came around and wanted to go fishing, as well. The 14-year old taught them how to fish. He turned out to be a very good instructor!

By the end of the 2-month summer camp, the young man was teaching a large number of younger children how to fish. The camp owner felt confident enough that he even allowed the boy to take the younger children out in a rowboat to fish in the center of the lake.

A life changed that summer because a young man found his gift. It also changed because someone gave him a chance.

DO YOUR GIFTS BELONG TO YOU?

At one level, they do. However, at another level they do not. They are of God. We are just stewards or shepherds of them. This is why we need to use them to assist others and help brighten up this world.

And don’t judge as to how much you are brightening up the world. You really don’t know!

A big man might help an older person cross the street. That can make a big difference in a person’s life, even though for the big man it seems like very little.

In other words, it does not matter if it seems like you are not making much of a difference. You do what you can, and what actually occurs is you will be given a little more to do in the future. Life and God work this way.

The only question one needs to ask is, “How can I use my gifts to benefit others?” This kind of thinking will take you far and will help keep you safe in unusual ways. This kind of thinking has to do with a related subject, that of living The Life Of Service.

A woman once asked Swami Beyondananda, who pokes fun at new age thinking, “What is my special gift?” He thought for a moment, and said, “Your special gift is a blender. You can pick it up on your way out.”

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