At the Intersection of Gifts and Talent

It only took a few minutes to get to really like Charlotte; a personable and professional journalist. We answered her questions and she answered ours. She had been Religion Editor in Jackson (the Captiol of the Mississippi) for a number of years and then had moved south to take care of her aging mother. Our time together sped by all too soon and before we knew it she was gone.

About 9:00am the next morning, two men stopped their pick-up and were all excited to show me the article in the newspaper. “You’re right on the front page. Look! Is there any thing you need…food?...water? I’ll get it for you.” Scott made me smile. He seemed to be bubbling over with smiles and enthusiasm. As I spoke with Jeff and Scott, I learned that Scott was in the NA (narcotics anonymous) program, his Higher Power is Jesus Christ and Scott has been clean for six months. Prior to that, he was living in abandoned buildings and eating out of garbage cans. He had almost ruined his life. He came so close to becoming a grim statistic. It made me shudder.

They gave me the newspaper as a souvenir and after they left I took it over to show Lucyah. The article was terrific and Christ got the front page headline (good job, Miss Charlotte!) but what stuck in my mind was Scott. The article seemed to encourage him; to fire him up for God and in turn, he fired me up! Lucy and I called Miss Charlotte, thanked her for the article and told her about its impact on Scott.

On a country road in Mississippi, a little man uses his gift of walking for Christ. He meets up with a woman who is using her talent of writing to serve the Lord. Two lives intersect for a moment in time; once strangers, now co-workers for Christ. Gifts and talent merge and out of that comes encouragement; encouragement for a third person that neither the man nor woman knew nor will likely see again.

Perhaps Scott was encouraged enough to stay off drugs for one more day. We can only hope...but his reaction to my gift and Miss Charlotte's talent encouraged us. I can't wait to walk tomorrow; Charlotte is eager to write again. Give what you have to God and watch how He uses your gift and talent to touch another life.