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Uplifting SLIDE for FReeQs:
We have all received such a gift from our father. And yet, we make little of it. It may be something as simple as hospitality, the capacity to listen, to notice, to wonder.
It might be a particular temperament, a trade, or the ability to see meaning where others see only facts. It could be courage, humor, mercy, faithfulness, or that strange, stubborn joy that refuses to die even in dark places.
We make little of these gifts because they seem too ordinary to deserve attention. Little do we know that when others see us exercise them, they are filled with awe — they tremble. It feels to them as though we are blowing some hidden Trumpet, and a tremendous wave of joy washes over them.
We all have such gifts. Our father solemnly warned us never ever to part with them. And yet we think, “There’s nothing special about this. Anybody can cook and host people in their home.”
Anybody?
Oh no. Most emphatically not.
It takes the spirit of Abraham to host angels without knowing it. He did not know who those three strangers were. He simply exercised his gift — the gift of hospitality. To Abraham his gift felt ordinary. To heaven, it was tremendous.
By exercising his gift, Abraham made the universe tremble with an echo of divine promise. And when we exercise our own “little” gifts, we too make the universe tremble with tremendous promises — without knowing it.
There is so little magic in the world because we do not realize how magical our small gifts really are. We are magicians who stubbornly refuse to believe in magic. And yet, we all recognize it instantly when we encounter it in others.
Recently, my wife and I met a magician-realtor who helped us buy a house. We had no idea who she was — until the moment we were completely stuck in our negotiations. Then, before our eyes, she transformed from an ordinary person into a mighty enchantress.
We stood there helpless as she picked up the phone and spoke to the other party with such inimitable persuasiveness that we both trembled at the sound. It was truly magical.
We all carry a Silver Trumpet tucked beneath our baldric — a magical gift from the King, our father. Most of us do not discover its power until we dare to use it and observe what happens to others.