When I was younger, my father use to always say that common sense is better than book sense. As I have grown up in life, I have been blessed with several gifts and talents. But I have to say that common sense was not a strength of mine. I was quite sheltered growing up so I was not afforded a lot of life experiences early on. For a long time, I used to be insecure and thought of myself not valuable because of it. In my mind, I thought of common sense as a coveted prize that I was always chasing after to win.
One day, my husband and I were talking and he said something that blew my mind right out of the water. "Common sense is a God-given gift. You're either born with it or not." Now, listen everyone. I know you are thinking that if you lived life long enough that you should have some common sense right? But that is not always the case. Why is that? I know of people that are much older in age and they can still act like they have no good sense. Let's be real, you know the ones I am talking about :-)
After searching the scriptures, I realized that common sense (wisdom) is a gift. So what does the word of God say about His gifts? "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning." James 1:17 (NKJV)
Now for me, that brought up another question. Does God regard one gift more highly than another? The answer is no. The scripture does not say that one gift is more valuable than another. I read in a blog written by Elder Neil Phelan, Jr., called On the Bible and Faith, said "That is why every gift should be coveted and appreciated as a unique and individual gift from the Father and used for its intended purpose. They are all important and necessary for the benefit of the body of Christ."
I know my father meant well by what he said to me, but he was not entirely correct. That may have been what he learned from his experience, but it does not fall in line with the word of God. It is clear that God does not regard wisdom more than healing; or helps more than administration. In God's eyes, each and every gift He gives is esteemed as good and perfect. This encouraged me because it let me know that I did not have to feel inadequate nor feel intimidated by someone who possessed certain gifts that I do not have.
For example, my husband and I understand that we are a team. We have learned how to mesh our strengths and weaknesses for the common good. We both recognize and appreciate the value in each of our own uniqueness (or strangeness, LOL) in our gifts and talents even the more.
So I encourage you to not sit on the gifts and talents that God has given you. Allow them to flourish in your life because the gifts are not for you. There are for you to be blessing and help to someone else and to the Body of Christ. Build your confidence on God's word to have faith in Him that what He did concerning you was for His purpose.
Peace and blessings from your Strange Girl,
Elder Twanna House
(c) 2013 The Chronicles of a Strange Girl by Elder Twanna House
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