Sharing Spiritual Gifts - June 13

Today’s Readings: AM Psalm 80; PM Psalm 77, [79]; Num. 9:15-23, 10:29-36; Rom. 1:1-15; Matt. 17:14-21

Recently, I drove to my hometown for the funeral of a friend’s daughter.  There were a few of us that were really close, brought together by being somewhere at the right time and the gift of music.  We would play weekly, sometimes at church services, most often in homes, offering each other that generative and creative space to nurture what we all loved to do.  

I left early Monday morning after a beautiful and exhausting Easter day to be with friends and family.  After the funeral, the few of us that were close ventured to a friend’s back porch, equipped with guitars, a mandolin, and a banjo, and sat down to play.  We were all heartbroken, and I can’t even fathom the true pain of my friend and her family, but the weight of the emotions in the room was palpable.  For a moment, I even dozed off for just a blip, with instrument in hand.  That caused some much-needed laughter amongst the group.

As we sat, as we cried, as we created, we could all strongly feel the presence of God in our midst, the real gift of hospitality and friendship. Personally, I felt the true gift of love and friendship at that moment, possibly in a more tangible way than ever before. 

Many of us have friendships that have been shaped by extraordinary experiences, whether a wild adventure, a bizarre mishap, an odd event, or even a tragedy.  And how we reflect and nurture those memories with each other define the relationships.  I am struck by Paul’s rather beautiful encouragement at the beginning of his letter to the Romans.  Paul says in verses 11 and 12, “For I am longing to see you so that I may share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— or rather so that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.”  Paul sees friendship as the potential to share spiritual gifts and strengthen one another.  What an incredible way to view our relationships!

What if you and I viewed every relationship in the same way.  Our going over to dinner wouldn’t just be a chance to laugh and share the latest drama of the neighborhood, but an opportunity to breathe life and love into the very people we interact with on a day-to-day basis.  To see our friendships as spiritual opportunities for strength and encouragement. 

Likely, we catch glimpses of this when our lives hit crisis moments.  Helping parents age, or the loss of a loved one, but Paul has me convinced that every encounter could be this opportunity for life and joy and to share spiritual gifts with each other.  We just have to see the potential in each encounter.

John+

Questions for Self-Reflection:  Do you have friendships that strengthen your faith?  Do you have friendships where that is missing?  What is the difference and how could you make a change?

Daily Challenge: Spend some time considering your spiritual gifts, or what gifts are shared in your relationship.  Be more intentional today in reflecting on how you share those gifts in your relationships.