Gifts?
Contribute?
I am barely paying the rent! you may say.
Gifts implies I have something to give.
I have no gift to bring, you say.
Others have wonderful gifts to contribute to the world,
but I have none.
I hear you.
I’m sorry you feel that way.
But I have a song for you,
if you want to take a few minutes to have a listen…
Yes, it’s a Christian song…but it speaks to every one of us who thinks
we have no gift to bring the world.
I’ll listen with you.
Are you game?
Let’s DO this!
This morning I was thinking: What am I going to write today?
I knew I wanted to talk about contribution.
I asked myself:
What kind of gifts contribute to the world?
And suddenly I remembered this song.
A close friend sent it to me a few years ago.
The Little Drummer Boy sung by Pentatonix.
I found it and listened.
Tears streaming down my face
I realized that this post I am writing today
is my little drummer boy song
that I play for you
it is all I have to give
but it is yours
with love
Click here to listen to: The Little Drummer Boy by Pentatonix
What is a gift?
Before we talk about contributing to the world,
let’s just talk about a simple gift.
A gift is something one person gives to another
that makes more life available to them.
Running shoes, a bike, a cooking set, a travel guide, a headphone…
Each one opens a door to more life.
We all have memories of favorite gifts that did that for us.
They made more life available to us, and we grew because we had them.
We also know when gifts we gave did this for others.
We saw their eyes light up!
We saw how our gift opened a door for them.
Where does a gift come from?
The idea for that great gift you gave
came from within your own heart and mind.
You had insight.
You had the capacity and the desire
to give exactly what would bring more life to another person.
That capacity and desire came from within you.
You had love.
Giving your gift
Every time you have given such a gift
every time you have had insight and love
and have given a gift from your heart and mind
that touched and blessed and opened up new life to another soul
you have been learning how to contribute.
You have been learning how to build.
You are a builder in the making!
That is why you are here in the golden garage.
Making your contribution
One day you will make your contribution to the world.
Actually, you have already begun, whether you know it or not.
Making a contribution to the world is no different from giving to an individual.
It’s all about finding something deep within yourself
that is of value and is needed.
It could be an idea you have.
It could be a service you offer.
It could be an object you create.
Your vitality
It could even be your vitality!
Your smile, and the life energy and enthusiasm you bring to the world.
You can transfer your vitality to others every day through how you relate.
That, too, is a major gift!
And you can do this anywhere, in any classroom, in any job,
right there in the place you are right now.
You DO have gifts to contribute to the world!
You have already been giving them.
You have already touched many lives.
QUESTION:
What gift would make you happiest to give the world?
I would love to hear.
Dr. Hall