Two Questions for You in Your COVID-19 Review
While preparing for the ministry, I pastored two small churches close to Athens, Georgia — home of the U. of Georgia Bulldogs. A graduate student — not your average run-of-the-mill type — became our friend and a regular attender at one of my churches. Tom often filled me in (unclassified info) on the fascinating research he and his team were doing at the school. Their task: Studying the behavior of large groups of people — randomly chosen — when confined together in a bomb shelter. One top finding in Tom’s research has stuck with me and to this day has influenced how I observe people.
Tom and his team (rotating their time) observed the control group 24/7. They looked through one-way glass windows. The paid volunteers, who allowed themselves to be subjected to weeks of being locked-in together with no outside communications in a gym-like space, were supplied with adequate food, water, and hygiene. The study groups were mixed in age, gender, ethnicity, vocational skills, education, marital status, and backgrounds. The finding among these groups was remarkable.
It was found almost without fail that each person within the group being studied evolved into a helpful team member. For instance, someone would take it upon themselves to insist on order. Another began to worry about the food. Still another took it upon herself/himself to comfort those who became disoriented. And so it went. This is reminiscent of the business world’s best-seller book “Good to Great” where Jim Collins, the author, opines that every business has one thing they do better than anything else. Tom’s study convinced me that this same principle is at work in individual people in the same way. In a group, forced to act, each will automatically begin to do their thing whatever it is.
You already know where I’m going with this, and you know what Question #1 will be. Case in point: The COVID-19 lock-in. We have been locked-in with others for weeks. If not within the same four walls, at least within the same network “walls.” Question: What is the one thing you have contributed or have desired to contribute to the mix during these weeks? Is it financial, literature, guidance, listening, comfort, caring; or practical help — like food, handy-work (create/innovate), transportation, pet-care, child-care, etc.? Even if you have not been able to do it what have you felt you would love to do if you could? Hang on to that one thing. It is you. It is God-given. It is your special natural talent or gift. Cultivate that one thing and use it when you have opportunity. God made you that way. But wait! If you are a professing Christian, God has assigned to you another special gift — a spiritual gift.
There are seven spiritual gifts that are named specifically in Romans 12: 6-8. You have been given one as a main gift (2 Timothy 1:6). Question #2: What is yours? You only find it by being among other believers in Christ — Christ’s body. Just as a human body has parts so Christ’s body has parts. It is in the mix that you discover what part you are. We have all been in the mix these past few weeks. Believers in Christ have probably been more in contact with one another than ever before in the history of the world. In that mix, which of the seven special gifts below turn you on as you have thought about doing — or even performed — some deliberate act toward a sister or brother in Christ?
Convincing — speaking instruction with conviction to those unsure or are like deer in headlights
Serving — giving hands-on attention in regard to realistic and practical needs
Teaching — clarifying and making sense of things; speaking to the head rather than to the heart
Encouraging — giving hope and inspiration; speaking to the heart as opposed to the head
Giving — passing on materially to another from your own material abundance
Ruling — giving hands-on direction using managerial skills
Mercy — kindness, heart-felt and hands-on compassion
Note: Your natural gift is useful to all people. Your spiritual gift is useful among Christians. Your gift in the two domains may/may not coincide with each other or your vocation. The use of your gifts brings joy to the giver and the receiver. You will be good at it, but might not think so because it seems easy to do. Even so, work constantly to improve it! AND PLEASE, PLEASE BE NOBODY BUT YOU!