For many years I struggled with being a Jack-of-all-trades…er, um…Jill-of-all-trades, master of none. It’s always that last bit that gets to me, because it’s basically saying that I’m good at a lot of things but only at a mediocre level. Or in other words, I don’t excel at anything.
And I hated that! Who wants to just be mediocre? To try my best, but only for my best to fall on the average.
It took love and kind words from God, family, and friends for me to really believe and live in a way that I’ve got something special to contribute. Even though there will always be someone better and someone worse at what you do, there will always be one you.
Here and now, in this time and space, I am the only one who’s gone through my own experiences and have my own thoughts. There is nothing new under the sun, but we process similar experiences in our own unique way. And that is what we are best at doing. We’re best at being us. I excel at being me.
So it makes sense that the best thing we can give others is ourselves. Like our time and energy. Or sharing our lives. Connecting. Helping. Loving.
Now I’m going to shamelessly tell you about Operation Christmas Child (OCC) because one of the special things I contribute to this world. Two years ago I learned about this. My sister and I sent a box each. It was a small gesture. We bought stuff on sale and in a dollar store, packed the box, and dropped it off at a location. But those two small boxes had the power to touch our hearts. The simple act of packing them and praying for the children who would receive had a huge impact.
So last year, our children’s ministry participated in OCC. We sent 58 boxes. And they had a great impact, too. It was exciting to pack gifts for children around the world. And we knew that each small box would make a big difference.
Even if you send one box, that’s one child who will get a Christmas gift. A child who may never have had a toothbrush or a teddy bear. A child who may never have heard of Jesus. A child who may feel loved for the first time because you took the time to pack a shoe box.
The best gift I’ve ever gotten was hearing about Jesus, my salvation, God’s love. And I believe that is the best gift we could give. But next to that is ourselves: our time, our help, our understanding, our service, our love. And we don’t have to be a Jack or Jill-of-all-trades or a master of one to do any of that. Anyone can pack a shoe box.
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