Life is a little crazy right now – and I love it! This past weekend, I sang at four services in less than 24 hours. Beginning tomorrow, I will have opportunities to sing five days in a row. In fact, I think within a four week span of time, I get to sing at nearly twenty services and events.

I’ve always enjoyed singing, but I never imagined when I joined the Sligo Gospel Choir nearly two years ago it would open so many doors to do what I love. I am finally beginning to accept that singing is not just an activity I enjoy immensely but a gift God has given me. Gifts are meant to be shared, and I’m happy to be able to offer this particular one so freely.

What are your gifts? I know you have some. I understand it’s uncomfortable to acknowledge them sometimes; we’ve been taught that’s prideful, but it’s not. Recognizing a gift is humility because we are acknowledging that it didn’t come from us but from God.

As we enter into a season where people are bustling around trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on their list, let’s not get distracted from the ways we can use our gifts to bless others. Thankfully, we don’t all have the same gifts. Not everyone is a singer or writer, so don’t judge what you have to offer by how it measures up to what your friends or family have to give.

Maybe you’re a gifted listener. Perhaps you have a gift of hospitality and welcoming others. It could be you have been given a positive outlook on life, a different perspective which can help others see the silver lining in their clouds. All of us have something to offer, even if it is just a smile. By the way, “just a smile” may be one of the most powerful things we have to offer to some people.

Maybe you have a list a mile long of people to shop for in the next few weeks. Maybe you have very few people in your life for whom you want to buy a gift this Christmas. Perhaps you don’t have money to shop for those you care about. Whatever situation you find yourself in this Christmas, let’s be generous with our gifts. Let’s thank the Giver of all good things and make sure His gifts don’t stop with us.

According to my Facebook feed, today is “Giving Tuesday”. If you have money to donate to a cause you believe in, by all means, give generously. If you are not able to give financially, don’t let it stop you from offering what you have to give today, this season, and all year round.