It's A Gift

Happy Friday Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day on this beautiful Friday morning in my Sweet Home Alabama! This day right here...its going to be a great one, I can feel it! :)

This week I am going to pivot away from the Coronavirus, self-quarantine or the challenges we are all facing together. Something super simple hit me as profound this week I want to share a couple of thoughts about it.

Earlier this week I was researching some quotes about humility and I came across one from Tim Tebow that said something to the effect of "it's just a gift." He was talking about his athletic ability and the recognition that he was just given the ability to do something that others aren't able to do. He recognized that it did not make him more than, special or anything else. It was just an ability, a gift, he was given.

I have shared this story before however I feel it appropriate to share again. Several years ago I was driving home from work, listening to the radio. A woman called into the radio station and asked for prayers for her son. When the radio host asked what was going on, the woman responded, "He has disabilities." The host immediately said, "Please tell me about his abilities." You see, we all have abilities AND disabilities. One not great than the other, just different.

So there are a couple of things I want to share.
1. Please realize that the abilities you have been given - the things you naturally do really well and enjoy doing - are simply a gift you have been given. They don't make you better or worse than anyone else. They are simply gifts. To think ourselves superior to another because we can run faster, throw harder, paint better, sing better...and the list can go on and on, is wrong in my opinion. Your abilities make you no better or no worse than anyone else. They just make us beautifully different. And, when we all pursue the full potential of whatever gifts we have been given, we form a beautiful painting, symphony, team or whatever you want to call it. :)

Please Sweet Friends, let's not think better or worse of ourselves based on the gifts we have been or have not been given. Let's simply enjoy our uniqueness, appreciate others and relentlessly pursue the full potential of who we were created to be. Leo Buscaglia said it beautifully, "Your talent is God's gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God."
I also love what St. Catherine of Siena said, "Be who God meant you to be and you will set the world on fire."

2. Please use whatever gifts you have been given to love, care for and serve others. Chances are you know who Tim Tebow is. The guy who realizes his abilities are "just a gift" has used that gift to inspire millions. How about you and me? What are we doing with whatever gifts we have been given? Are we using them to love, care for and serve others or are we simply using them for selfish gain? With what I have learned in my life, I am thoroughly convinced that they were not given to us, just for us. They were given to us to serve a greater purpose. I beg you Friends, whatever gift you have, please develop it to the best of your ability and use it to serve others. While you and I might not reach the entire world as Tim has, we will profoundly impact the lives of every singly person in our worlds.

I also want to share something I read this morning from Jon Gordon.

20 THINGS WE SHOULD SAY MORE OFTEN
1. I love you.
2. I believe in you.
3. You are worthy. You deserve it.
4. The best is yet to come.
5. Stay positive.
6. I was wrong. I am sorry.
7. Please.
8. How can I help?
9. I'm here for you when you wan to talk.
10. You can do it.
11. You've got this and God's got you.
12. Please forgive me.
13. I forgive you.
14. I've got your back.
15. I'm open to your feedback. Make me better.
16. You're not alone.
17. Even if we disagree, we can still be friends.
18. You matter.
19. Thank you.
20 There is greatness inside you.

I want to wish you all a very Happy Easter. Cherish this time with your families. Let's live with a "get to" mentality, not a "have to" mentality. We get to stay home, be with our families...it is an incredible opportunity, let's seize it! And please continue to be in prayer for all those fighting this virus and all those who have been infected by it.

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your families. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend and please cherish your precious families!

Kev