Gifted!...

Tuesday, July 10, 2012. Humans are quite different. They have different talents, different gifts. One is good in maths, the other in art, the third in sports. We know that there are different gifts, but as a society we do not acknowledge and use them wisely … let us talk about that!

The things we can do …

When you are trying to support very different people, you learn a lot about our society. The usual way we deal with talents is to give grades in school. We give grades in mathematics, in English, in science, in art. Sometimes there are also written reports, telling about the progress of individuals. But most structures map the progress into some grades, from A (very good) to E (bad), from 1 (very good) to 5/6 (failed).

Let me give you two examples where these systems fail. First, I know a kid who is very good in taking care. She will never forget something important. She likes to get up in the morning and prepare breakfast for the whole family. She takes care of the animals, feeds them and plays with them. You can rely on her. Our school system does not really appreciate this type of capabilities - though they are crucial for a society, for any community! We do not support what we need most. We fail in giving value what we need urgently on all levels of our community!

Second, public service is giving regular judgement to its members. But there are very different talents and functionalities needed here as well. Some need to be scientists on an international level. They need to publish and be acknowledged as leading experts, with a high degree of creativity. Others need to be the experts in one particular system. They do not need the publication business, but they need to be efficient. They need to have the attitude of service. They need to be reliable. Do we want to compare apples and pears? Who should get what type of grade? We urgently need all these talents to work together and work for the community.

God's Community …

God's community should be different. Jesus has asked his disciples to be different. They are called to be the community of faith, to be the community of acknowledgement, to be a community of those who appreciate each other. We are called to be the community of the gifted, every single person with different gifts and talents, which all together make us flourish.

When we live church just as some who come together on Sunday morning, we have missed what we are called to be. We are called to be a community. We are called to make a difference. The church is not just an organizational structure to organize Sunday services. It is called to be the people of the Lord, living with him and living with each other.

God has given all these talents to us, those which are seen by the society, and all those which are not seen and not acknowledged usually. But we are asked to see them. We are asked to be different, not follow some stupid patterns, which cannot and will not work properly. We are asked to be HIS community! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts