On Life and Culture

God's Gifts

God is a gift giver among many wonderful things. He loves to bless His children with gifts, salvation being the first; then He grants us gifts in our moments and times of need.  However, each individual much chose to accept and receive salvation and spiritual gifts. God gives these freely for His glory, just as master of three servants gave them money to use according to their abilities (Matthew 25:15). 

The master gave the first servant 5 talents, the second 3, and the last servant 1 biding them to use the money wisely. When the master returned the servants with 5 and 2 talents came back with their money doubled and were praised for their efforts and success, consequently, they were to receive more abilities and responsibilities from the master.

 Sadly, the last servant buried the money due to his fear of the master, “If I lose it the master will be angry! What if I’m not successful? What if I’m prideful for accepting the gift? I don’t know what to do, so I will do nothing.” Far too many Christians have this attitude that it is prideful to not accept spiritual gifts in their time of need or those that God has ordained for us.  The master was angry for the servant’s irresponsibility and cast him out.

When someone accepts Jesus Christ they receive salvation – a gift none deserve – and spiritual gifts. Christians readily accept salvation, but fail to fully embrace and utilize the other gifts God gives, yet these gifts have been given to use for His glory, not our own. It is not wrong or prideful to accept these gifts, we are to use them for His glory. God has not enabled Spirit-filled Christians to walk up to others who are not saved and touch them on the shoulder stating, “I give you a piece of my salvation!” He has given us gifts such as wisdom, healing, faith, miracles, prophecy, teaching, leadership, administration, knowledge, discernment, exhortation, shepherding, faith, evangelism, apostleship, service/help, mercy, giving, and hospitality (1 Corinthians 12-14). These gifts are given so that we can share our salvation through our actions.

People see our actions as the fruit of our faith and devotion to God. When we use our spiritual and appointed gifts in love, we share Christ’s gracious gift with others. Using these gifts ultimately blesses others, which blesses God, and then we are blessed.  The servants had to chose to accept the gift of talents and use them wisely to receive further blessings. Christians should not hesitate for fear, pride, ungratefulness or any other reason to accept these gifts as they have already accepted the greatest gift – salvation. Spiritual gifts are for God’s glory, and to help bring others to Him. We must accept, use, and develop our gifts to be effective – don’t be afraid to use what God has given you to bless others.

the Korean Monk

       The importance of a balanced diet and proper supplements is extremely important, especially when living with Celiacs disease.  I learned this valuable lesson the hard way while we were in Korea.  I taught English for 6 months, and my days were never boring.  Scholastic achievement is held as the most vital component to a successful life - failure is hardly an option.


       My students were a joy to teach because they were excited to learn about the American language and culture, and eager to teach me about theirs.  After working there for only a few months the principal asked me to teach summer school for twenty days in August, I agreed and found myself working at a grueling pace between lesson plans and grading homework with little time for breaks during the day.  I worked from 9 am until 6 or 7 at night with few breaks, as any teacher knows, sanity breaks are very necessary when working with kids.  Lunch was provided for me and my students everyday, frequently I would need to ask my supervisor what was in all of the food due to the fact I am allergic to wheat gluten, dairy, shellfish, carrots and parsley (btw, they are close cousins in the veggie family), lime and the list continues.  One day I was observing the menu and asked my co-worker,


"What is in this soup?"


 "Ah! Tofu soup. I think it is just seaweed and tofu. You will like it."


"It looks really spicy."


"Yes, but very good."


Lunch sometimes felt like Russian Roulette with an Epi pen, here goes....


We all sat down and began to eat, the soup proved to be delicious, and poisonous.  I took a bite of something squishy... Tofu? Nope. I spat it out onto my spoon, oysters!  The damage was done, I had already had much of the soup and broth, the trigger had been pulled, and now it was a matter of time before the reaction would begin.


Two hours later - fever, severe stomach pain, needles pricking through my skin... I informed my boss who instantly freaked out and asked me to finish teaching. I told her no and that my husband would pick me up within 15 minutes.


The next day...


      Still very sick, in pain, and exhausted from the loads of Benadryl I had taken the night before, I promptly headed into work at 9 am.  Apparently, I am a glutton for punishment.  The principal looked at me and told me I looked very ill, and she thought I should see a doctor or a monk.  She insisted that she bring a monk to school to look at me, she stated that he had super natural healing powers and could fix me, also that he had scanned my body the night before and said that I was okay.
   
      The monk came and looked at me; he held my hand in an upwards position and looked in my eyes, it was strange because it felt like he was looking into my body, into my soul.  There is a scientific practice called iridology, that uses a magnifying glass and looks at the different parts of the iris; and this was not it.  He listed off symptoms that I had been having that I had not told anyone such as, I had problems standing, exhaustion, pale skin with dark circles, hard time focusing or remembering, and mood swings.  The most interesting symptom he told me I had was problems standing, which I had particularly in the shower with hot water; I felt like I was swaying back and forth.  This triggered a memory for me, as a Biochemistry undergrad, I was required to learn about vitamins and their effects on the human body; once I had heard all of these symptoms together, I knew it had to be a vitamin B deficiency.  I went home and got online, and there it was, my answer.  In my research I learned that people on a gluten free diet usually lack this particular vitamin in their diet and it is important to take supplements to ensure the body is receiving the proper amount.  I started taking a vitamin b supplement right away and noticed a huge difference in my energy, abilities to stand and walk, and memories, everything seemed to clear up.  The monk told me that I should keep coming back for healing, but something didn't feel right about it.


 For more info on a Vitamin B deficiency check out:


http://www.webmd.com/diet/vitamin-b12-deficiency-symptoms-causes