In writing, particularly in
journalism, one of the first things people learn is how to answer the six basic
questions for a good story: Who? What? Where? When? Why? How? If you can answer
these six questions, you’ll have a decent story.
We apply these questions to our
lives all the time, because they’re useful questions to ask when we need
information, from simple things like, “What time is it?” to the really hard
questions like, “Why does air exist?”
These questions can also be important
for us to ask ourselves when and if we consider our gifts and how we can use
them to bless others. The questions can be boiled down to
these six (you may have variants of them, and that’s perfectly okay):
1.
WHO
would be blessed by my gifts?
2.
WHAT
are my gifts?
3.
WHERE
will I be called upon to use my gifts?
4.
WHEN
will I be called upon to use my gifts?
5.
WHY
would a particular person need to be blessed?
6.
HOW
can I use my gifts to be a blessing to someone?
The
easiest question to answer here is probably Number 2, the “What” question. From
there, the answers to “Who” and “How” may follow. Most times, though, these are
not easy questions to answer, because unless we receive a direct tip from God –
which can happen – we cannot know beforehand who needs to be blessed, when or
where we will be called upon to put our gifts to use, why a particular person
needs to be blessed, or how to go about doing all of this. These questions are
usually answered only after the event has happened, and it all comes together
in that light bulb inspiration moment.
While
it’s comforting to know that God doesn’t require us to have every gift, the
knowledge that we have these gifts carries with it a great responsibility – a
responsibility to be at the ready to use our gifts to bless others. And in so
doing, we ourselves will be blessed.
Lord, we have questions. You have the answers. Help us to discern the answers
to these questions and use this knowledge to be a blessing to others. Amen.
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