How can I serve when I don’t feel like I have the right tools?

A dog collar on a bolt, a bracelet on a golf tee, a piece of pocketbook on a key. What do these things have in common?

I have no idea other than that’s a partial listing of things I found hanging on this tree.

Is it a new ‘lost and found’ repository? Was someone decorating the City’s street trees?

Maybe it’s a good way to let passersby know, “If you need one of these, here you go.”

I can’t help but wonder what ran through the person’s mind as they stood in front of this tree with the collar, bracelet, piece of pocketbook, earring, or whatever that thing is at the top of the picture. Did they stand there with the item in their hand wondering how they could put it in a place where someone would see it?

This decorated tree may be like you or me scrolling through Facebook and landing on a post about a friend struggling with the death of a loved one. Or, maybe you walk into church and the normally friendly person sitting a couple of seats to your right doesn’t look very happy. Or, have you ever missed your favorite server at a local restaurant? Why were they not there? Have they been gone for days, weeks, or months?

You stand in front of the tree with this thing in your hand. You look around and realize you have no way to hang this thing on the tree. But after a little searching, you find a golf tee… or a nail… or a house key… or a bolt. Those are odd tools for hanging something, but they’re available. They’re not being used for anything else at the moment. If you don’t use them, they’ll either get washed down the storm drain, ground into the dirt, or rust away.

What do you do?

Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 4:10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (NASB)

It’s easy to feel inadequate in situations that need something or someone. You may not feel gifted in a way that would make you the perfect solution to whatever problem presents itself.

That’s okay. Each one of us has received a special gift. Yours will be different from someone else’s. It may be a golf tee, a nail, a house key, or yes, maybe even a bolt. Doesn’t matter. God wants us to use it to serve one another as good stewards of His grace.

Take someone experiencing a death of a loved one. You may be able to make a meal. You may not be able to make a meal, but you can take a meal. You may not be able to make or take a meal, but you can send a note. You may not be able to make a meal, take a meal or send a note, but you can call. You may not be able to make a meal, take a meal, send a note or call, but you can pray.

God’s grace is a manifold grace. His grace is a grace of many and various ways.

I encourage you to have hope in the fact that God has gifted you in a special way when you find yourself standing in front of that tree with a lost piece of jewelry and nothing but a bolt.

We’d love to hear your stories of God giving you just the right tool for the job.