Catholic Singles

A GIFT FROM GOD
BY: MARK ANTHONY ROSOLOWSKI

How do we accept a gift from God? Do we freely accept it with open arms? Do we secretly open it, look at it, and then put it away? Do we use it to its fullest, sharing it with everyone and pleasing our Father with its use?

God has given me at least two wonderful gifts. I guess they were given to me at birth, so they must be birthday presents. I gladly took these gifts; I opened them and marveled at what I could do with these gifts. After that I used one gift in secret, and always hid the fruits of the gift away from others for fear of ridicule. I inwardly knew my use of that gift would never be good enough, would never be what others wanted to see, it would never be up to what God intended. I was not worthy of that gift from God.

The other gift I used to help my fellow man, I was a Paramedic, and I was able to save lives using the gift that God gave me. What an awesome gift that is, when you are doing it, you think it is just my job. You do not put any value behind what you are doing as you work. However, after a person who I had worked on at his home, who by all purposes was dead, then by using the knowledge God bestowed on me, using my hands the way He wanted me to use them. I was able to see this man walk out of a hospital a few months later and a year later saw him enjoying life with his family as he came to me and thanked me for what I did. Funny, I never saw it as any great deed, it was a job that had to be done and I did it. That gift God gave me though was important to him, because of that gift he was alive.

It has taken me years more to realize the potential of my second gift. This second gift also involves using my hands, but in a vastly different way. God has given me insight to the heart, to the passion, to the feelings of life. In this gift He has made it possible for me to put down in words what others feel, but do not know how to express. I use to write, read what I wrote, then either put it away in a box, or tear it up because it felt right, but who would want to read my writings. Now as i write more and more, i hear from those that I have touched, what my words meant to them, how my words have touched their lives, how my words have made them think. To read their responses to my words, is in a way God telling me I am using this gift to what He expects, I know He is pleased that I am no longer hiding this gift. I use it proudly and share it happily with eveyone that I can.

What we all need to do is look into what the gift is that God has given us and to use it to the fullest that we can. The feeling of happiness, the peace and serenity you receive from the use of your gift is one of life's greatest rewards. The use of the gift is pleasing to God.