The cars started lining up around the corner in front of my house. A group of jr. high and high school kids, including my sons, hosed down each automobile and began soaping them up. This car wash and bake sale fundraiser was raising money to help fund water wells in Africa.
Visiting Rwanda twice on a mission trip with each of my sons, my eyes were awakened to an important need: clean water. Something we take for granted here in America as this resource easily flows from our tap in our kitchen and bathroom, I humbly watched men and women balance heavy containers of water on their heads and shoulders as they hiked back home with their treasured supply. It was eye-opening observing kids walk miles to the nearest well to get fresh water for their families.
I believe God allows us to see a need, so then we can help meet the need.
That afternoon at my home, I watched teenagers sacrifice their time and energy hoping to make a difference in the world. Every baked good wrapped in plastic wrap was a love offering. Each dirty vehicle was an opportunity to spread hope.
Their laughs and smiles reminded me that showing love to others does not have to be difficult. It can be fun and creative using the talents and skills God has given us.
No matter your age, God has uniquely gifted you to help others. Maybe you have the gift of words and can encourage another hurting heart. Perhaps you have the gift of hospitality and your inviting home welcomes and spreads joy to someone else. It could be that you have other talents: teaching, serving, wisdom, faith, organizing…
These special gifts are not for us, but to bless others. In 1 Peter 4:10, it says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” How has God uniquely wired you?
At Saddleback Church, we use the acrostic, SHAPE:
Spiritual Gifts- Have you taken a spiritual gifts test?
Heart- What are you passionate about?
Abilities- What are you naturally good at?
Personality- Are you an introvert or extrovert?
Experiences- What life experiences have you walked through that God can use to help someone else going through those same circumstances.
As you determine your unique SHAPE, God will identify someone that you can minister to and encourage. Who is God placing on your heart that needs your love offering?
Maybe it is not the people in Africa who need clean water like I witnessed. Perhaps it is the new neighbor that needs to be welcomed and or a friend that needs to be encouraged.
God wants to open your eyes to the person He wants you to serve. He just needs a willing heart. Are you available? My prayer today is that God can use both you and me to embolden others along our path.
Connect with Jodi:
Jodi Rosser is a writer, podcaster, and speaker who serves a steadily growing audience through her podcast, Depth, and her blog, Heartbreak to Strength. Having walked through multiple heartbreaks (divorce, miscarriage, and cancer), Jodi now inspires women to find hope, joy, and purpose through their unexpected storms. She lights up the most when she shares her testimony using her cracked clay pot, a visual reminder that God shines brightest through our broken places. She is raising two teenage sons and lives in Rancho Santa Margarita, CA. Jodi would love to connect with you on her website: jodirosser.com or on Instagram @jodi.rosser.
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