What if we sat and thought long and hard about the answer to this question? What if we took a good, long, hard look internally to recognize all that we actually held in our possession? What if we sat and made a list of every gift and talent and unique ability we have been given?
This is the question Hope International is asking their clients. I have loved this organization since the moment I first encountered them years ago. This past week I sat at their annual breakfast and learned more about the work they are doing around the world and watched the incredible video below. I look forward to this breakfast every year, because my heart is truly ignited when I hear about the dreams of this organization and the work they are accomplishing. The 'Investing in Dreams Breakfast' - the name alone is encompassing of the things that make my heart beat a little faster. I so believe in the dreams of the poor, I believe that hope and dreams go hand in hand. You see, dreams stem from talents and abilities and when talents are valued and individuals are invested in, their dreams are given wings. They are given the ability to take off and eventually soar. These dreams can take them to places they never imagined possible. When people are empowered, equipped and believed in, their capability is unstoppable.
Unemployment robs individuals of the opportunity to soar, to provide for their families, to accomplish their dreams, but Christ-centered micro-enterprise development is restoring it by helping men and women create jobs for themselves and others in their community.
This is the model of Hope, they are serving the poor, investing in the lives of over 750,000 families in 17 countries worldwide, asking men and women the simple question of 'what do you have in your hands?' Allowing them the ability to purchase that sewing machine, to start that small business, to utilize their talents...to soar.
This question applies to all of us, it takes a blend of humility and confidence to see the potential in all people. It requires that we stop trying to give those in need everything, that we let go of the drive to fix people and their circumstances and start to empower others by challenging people to see all that they actually possess. Those in need often don't need a hand out - these individuals are just waiting for someone to care enough to take a good look into their eyes, listen to their dreams and ask them what they possess rather than focusing on what they lack.
Every human on this earth has been instilled with creativity - and it must be expressed. We were made in the image of a creative God - the creator of all things, therefore even if we don't see it in ourselves, or express it very often, we are all called to creative expression.
What gifts have you been given that you have stored away? What do you have that you haven't thought enough of to actually build upon or practice? Those gifts you have, they aren't as common as you may think. Is it the gift of encouragement or maybe the gift to create something beautiful? Whether it's the tangible or intangible, these things are valuable and worthy of being shared.
Stop comparing your gifts to everyone else's, stop thinking about all that you lack. What you have been given is enough, you may not be as far along as you would like, but remember, no one wakes up at the pinnacle of their dreams. These things take hard work, time, commitment and most of all, continual belief.
If we will stop spending our days focusing on all that we are lacking and start to realize just how much we have been given, if we will value our gifts as well as other's enough to call them out in each other, we will start to see people come to life! If we want to see people fully alive, we have to help them believe in their ability to...do anything! It is in this place where we are able to see past the fog of inability and start to see hope again. If we could all just take time to ask each other the question - 'What is it that you have in your hands?', those things we lack just may fade away and we may realize that the staff we are holding is more than enough...
“Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’” The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.””
Watch this video and consider giving to Hope International to be a part of the work they are doing to empower the poor to carry out their dreams. I hope you will utilize what you have been given today!