June 1, 2023 The Slingshot!

Sometimes God uses simple things as a reminder that we must get good instructions from Him before venturing out to use the gifts He has given us.

“In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.” (Rom. 12:6a NLT)

The Slingshot!

In my early childhood most of our toys were homemade. With newspapers, slender sticks, and twine, we constructed kites to fly in eastern North Carolina’s strong March winds. From the trunks of small but sturdy and flexible saplings we made bows for our bows and arrows. In the twilight as evenings approached, we sometimes ventured near the woods, playing and singing, “Ain’t no bears out tonight. Papa killed ‘em all last night.” The more well-to-do kids might have had store-bought toys, but we had each other, and our homemade toys and games were loads of fun.

Nonetheless, one day when I was about five years old Daddy purchased a toy for me, a little blue slingshot. His eagerness to give his little boy the storebought toy was met with equal exhilaration. Bursting with excitement, I rushed outside to pick up some small rocks to sling. Just then the big yellow school bus stopped at the end of the road in front of our house to drop off my siblings after what had been a routine day at the old wooden Andrew Jackson School in Halifax. Helena, Gwen, Louetta, and Griffin hurried happily toward our old farmhouse, anticipating perhaps that Mom had baked some gingerbread, or ‘sweetbread’, or sweet potato jacks.

I rushed toward them to show off my new gift from Daddy. Innocently, I placed a rock in the slingshot’s elastic band and let it fly in their direction. It hit my sister Louetta squarely in the eye, causing severe damage. In the process of preparing to rush Louetta to the medical clinic in downtown Halifax, the same one who gave me the gift, scolded me, and gave me a quick but memorable whipping! My joy turned to melancholy. To this day, I have never forgotten the lesson of the slingshot!

In my eagerness to show off my new gift, I had not taken time to learn how to use it in the right way. When God called Paul to proclaim the Gospel to the Gentiles (Galatians 1:16), it was His gift to Paul, the gift of prophesying, speaking on behalf of God to the people. Paul said, “When this happened, I did not rush out… I went away into Arabia…Then three years later I went to Jerusalem” (Gal. 1:16-18). Just as the other apostles had spent three years walking beside and learning from Jesus before they were given the great commission, Paul spent three alone with Him before he began his mission. In other words, instead of rushing out to zealously show off his new gift as I did, Paul went through a preparation period to learn how to use his gift well.

My sister, Louetta, could have lost vision in one of her eyes because of my lack of preparation and the foolish way I had used my little gift.

So, the lesson of the slingshot is that without proper preparation and learning, we can do more harm than good with the gift God has given us. If we are going to be His disciples and do the work for which He has called us, we must spend adequate time alone with Jesus, praying, fasting, studying, and learning from Him by reading and heeding His instructions. In so doing, (Well, let’s just let Paul finish this one.)

“If God has given you the ability to prophesy, [you will be able to] speak out with as much faith as God has given you. If your gift is serving others, [you will] serve them well. If you are a teacher, [you will] teach well. If your gift is to encourage others, [you will] be encouraging. If it is giving, [you will] give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, [you will] take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift of showing kindness to others, [if you prepare properly by spending time with Jesus, you will] do it gladly” (Romans 12:6-8 NLT—bracket inserts are mine).

Each one of us has a divinely assigned gift that can only be exercised properly with divine preparation and instructions! Prepare, prepare, prepare, and use your gift well!

Focus Quote: “Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house” (Proverbs 24:27 ESV).