To Each His Own

"Those boys are worse than the Katzenjammer Kids!" the talkative senior citizen lamented after telling of her 6-and 7-year old (great?)grandsons' behavior. We were sitting in the out-patient surgery waiting room while our son was having knee surgery, and her grandchild was having a tosilectomy.

She had directed her comments to a middle-aged woman across from her, but on seeing the blank look on the woman's face, I commented, "She probably doesn't know who The Katzenjammer Kids are." When she shook her head in confusion, I told her it was a comic-strip from a long time ago. I remember reading it at about age 8, wondering at the antics of the twin-boy characters, as well as puzzling out the strange words and accents, recalling the stock verdict when he boys got into mischief, "Comes der hairbrush!"

A little later, the voluble talker said across the room to me, "I like your shoes." I had worn these sandals to pamper my painful knee, since they were the flattest ones I have. I responded with a "Thank you," saying they were comfortable. "And they look good on your feet," she went on. My summer pedicure must still be holding on, I thought thankfully.

Anyway, I liked this frank, open woman who was completely unselfconscious and commented entertainingly on whatever occurred to her in the crowded waiting room. I wish I could be more like that, I reflected. But I was reminded of the lead story I read in Guideposts that morning about a man who had wanted to be just like his adored and admired grandpa. Grandpa could do anything, from plumbing to building to putting things together without reading the instructions. He was the boy's hero.

Alas, the grandson despaired of his own inabilities until his grandfather told him, "God has given us both a toolbox. Not the same toolbox, though," encouraging the young boy that he would find his gift someday. And it turned out that he did, which he managed to use in honoring his grandparent in the end.

My husband has the gift of instant rapport with people he has just met. Today at a vegetable stand I had to give up waiting on him to go sit in the car while he visited with the proprietor. God gave him these gifts which he has used in ministry and meeting the public in business.

In Paul's day, many people started preferring a different teacher. Acts 18:24 says, "And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus." Paul addressed this in I Corinthians 1:11 when he hears of the contention over some favoring Apollos and some himself. He sums up the situation and challenges the people to maturity when he says, "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase, I Corinthians 3:6.

We all have different gifts as Christians. The important thing is that we use them for the Lord and honoring our Father!