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Different Gifts, Same Spirit

What do I give. What do I need.

Rev. Anne Abdy

Different Gifts, Same Spirit

Dear Friends in Christ,


“There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.” (NIV, 1 Corinthians 12:4-6)


Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Henri Nouwen are three of my favorite spiritual leaders of the last century. All were prolific writers and shared their knowledge on so many topics from activism to courage and everything in between that has helped me through trials and tribulations, and to experience the joys of my call to discipleship.


As this past week progressed, I’ve been thinking about self-care and the care of others. I came across this meditation written by Charles Ringma in his book of meditations titled, Dare To Journey With Henri Nouwen (2000)1 on my bookshelf. I felt that this meditation fit our life experiences as disciples in the 21st century.


A rather superficial view of life promotes the idea that there are the bright and the dull, the swift and the slow, the makers and the shakers and also-rans, the fortunate and the unfortunate.

Such neat categorizations; however, don’t fit life’s complexity. They also don’t fit our everyday experience of life. For the powerful can experience depowerment, the strong can experience weakness, and the less fortunate have particular strengths and qualities. Therefore, we need to be careful about the way in which we categorize others and view ourselves. It is much closer to reality to see ourselves with gifts, to bring things we learn, and with strengths as well as weakness. Nouwen makes the helpful observation “we are all children and parents, students and teachers, healers and in need of care.”2 Thus, while we may have so much to give, we all have so much we need to receive.”


Re-writing the last sentence of this meditation, “What are the gifts that you bring to others? To ministry? What do you need to receive?”


Citations:

1. Ringma, C. (2000). Dare to journey. NavPress. p. 163.

2. Nouwen, H. J. M. (1996). Reaching out: The three movements of the spiritual life. Harpercollins/STL. p. 7.


Blessings,

Rev. Anne

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