Between now and the last day, I will attend an elementary school concert to hear a grandson play his trumpet. The following evening is the decades old Dance Festival, then the next week is the Track and Field Awards banquet.
During P.E for the last month or so, the young kids have been practicing, practicing, and then practicing some more for the Dance Festival. The theme this year is Disney. That means each grade dances to music chosen from Disney movies. Costumes are simple and inexpensive, They usually consist of white tee shirts and jeans, and jazzed up with colorful scarves, sunglasses, canes, or plastic hats.The gym is always packed with parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, and whoever else wants to come.
I remember the first one I attended. My granddaughter was in kindergarten. As the 5/6 year-olds marched into the gym, each class was supposed to form a circle on the court--one under each basket and one at half court. The kids were supposed to space themselves evenly around their circles. As little ones do, they were all so busy searching the stands for their families that they would bump into each other, then stop. That resulted in clumps of kids, not nice round circles.
This turned out to be a night that my granddaughter's organizational skills jumped into high gear for all to see. As soon as she noticed what was happening, she started grabbing kids and moving them to their proper spots. Some went willingly. Others did not want her touching them, so pushed her away. Even after the music started, O-Granddaughter-of-Mine kept organizing. When all was to her liking, she joined in with the dancers. Of course this whole scenario brought laughter to the crowd.
Several years later while she was visiting me, I asked her if she wanted to organize my bookcase of jumbled, disorganized children's books. She jumped at the chance. Before long she asked me this question, "Do you want me to put them back by height, book title, author's name, subject, or color?" Now that is an organizer.
NOTE
When I started writing an hour ago, I had no idea I would end up where I am now. So, where do I go from here? I'll decide after I grab some lunch.............I'm back. A handful of baby carrots, a stalk of peanut butter stuffed celery, and a sliced apple helped me decide what to do. So here goes.
"We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully." Romans 12:6-8
My granddaughter started organizing her toys as a toddler. Her stuffed animal could be found in groups of pink, brown, blue, purple, and white after she had been playing for awhile. Later in the day there would be groups of bunnies, bears, sheep, and cows instead. One day she placed all her books down flat on the floor, then stood back to enjoy her work. Suddenly she marched her diapered behind into the middle, picked up a plastic toy of some sort and threw it across the room as she exclaimed, "That doesn't belong there." I was constantly amazed with the way her God-given mind worked. Here was a skill, a gift, that she was born with. It was an integral part of who she was.
To this day she is an organizer. If there is clutter, she can hardly wait to get approval to dig in. Just the other night she posted on Face Book that she had baked cookies, cleaned her room, then gone to the attic and put all her grandmother's World War II newspapers in chronological order. Why am I not surprised?
It takes some of us years to see and understand our own gifts and abilities. For me, I thought everyone had the same thought processes I had. I didn't understand why they couldn't come up with ideas for themed events, decorations, and publicity. Why couldn't they take a few days and put together a short skit? After all, there really wasn't much to it, was there? I was in my late twenties before I began to see and understand that even I had gifts; and they were right before my eyes. They were just part of who I was.
What continues to both amaze and surprise me is how God continues to either reveal my gifts to me or give me new ones I will need for what is on the horizon. Will it be for a ministry opportunity or a personal challenge? I never know. I just need to be able to recognize them and then use them to the best of my abilities and to the extent of my faith.
For me, using what He has given is the hardest part. But, I must add, I once considered writing this blog a drudgery. It has now almost become pure joy. Almost.
Writing and usually enjoying it,
Jan
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