Useful service

Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms (1 Peter 4:10).

Florence Nightingale was born in the spring of 1820 in Italy. She almost single-handedly took the nursing profession from a crude "Middle Ages" mentality to the high esteem in which it is held today. However, her entry into this care-giving field was not without problems.

Florence’s parents were upper-crust British folk, with all the expected trappings. They spent their lives travelling, entertaining, and being served by maids, valets and coachmen. When Florence and her sister came of age, her mother added six bedrooms to one of their mansions in order to increase the social and marital possibilities of the new debutantes.

Florence, however, had a higher calling. When she looked at those extra rooms, she saw places that ought to be used for the care of the sick. She once wrote, "Since I was 24, there never has been any vagueness in my plans or ideas as to what God’s work was for me." Her parents opposed this calling, claiming in disgust that her ambition was to be nothing more than a simple kitchen maid. But Florence hung her nursing cap on this inspiration: Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

God has given you a gift as well. It might not be as immediately obvious or dramatic as Florence’s gift for nursing, but God has equipped you to do something special. Maybe you are good with flowers; perhaps you have a knack with children. Some people are adept with numbers, others can get a stain or wrinkle out of just about anything. Maybe you have strong arms; maybe you are good with small engines or computers. The point is, God has given you a skill that can be used by Him to serve His church and the Christians who belong to it.

Are you using your skill in God’s service? People with green thumbs can decorate the church or maintain its flowerbeds. People who have a knack with children can help with Sunday School or in the nursery. If you are competent with numbers, perhaps you could serve as treasurer; if you are good with laundry, you could care for the altar cloths and vestments. Strong arms and a mechanic’s touch are always needed for keeping the church and its equipment in shape, and every parish office appreciates those who can use computers. There are many ways to serve God; what has He equipped you to do?