Are you an Acorn or Oak Tree?

You must be thinking my titles are getting weirder and weirder…but please, stick with me on this. All will become crystal clear very soon!

I’m sure we’ve all seen an oak tree – they are MAHOOSIVE! And to think this oak tree derives from a single acorn?!!!! Scroll up and have a look at the pic above, this tree is literally like a natural umbrella. I have some interesting woodland facts about the oak tree – geeky yes – but it adds to blog … so suck it up!

Oak tree facts:-

• Latin name, Quercus robur, means strength
• Their open canopy enables light to penetrate through to the woodland floor, allowing bluebells and primroses to grow below.
• Oak tree growth is particularly rapid in youth but gradually slows at around 120 years. Oaks even shorten with age in order to extend their lifespan.

 

-REMEMBER THIS –

I remember reading in my devotion about our gifts being likened to an acorn and an oak tree. An acorn in the sense that your gift is a seed bursting with potential but rather than discovering, developing and deploying…you just leave it as it is – untouched and untransformed. On the other hand, our gifts can be like an “oak tree” where the acorn seed is planted into the soil and nurtured, giving birth to a beautiful, strong and healthy oak tree whose presence cannot go unnoticed.

Let me tell you a quick story, in Matthew 25 of the bible there were 3 servants working on a land and to one servant the master gave 5 talents (Egyptian talent = 80 librae unit of money), to another 2 and another one. Each according to their ability, then he went away on business. The first two servants traded their talents and received a profit while the last servant who got one talent, out of fear, buried his in the ground.  The master returned and commended the first two servants for their efforts but chastised the 3^rd servant for not doing anything with his talent – not even putting it in the bank to gain interest at least! The moral of this story – ‘Parable of the talents’, told by Jesus, was to encourage His disciples to use their God-given gifts in the service of God, and to take risks for the sake of the kingdom of God. The “gifts” could be personal abilities as well as personal wealth.

So if you ask yourself – am I fully utilising my gifts? What would your answer be? You see even if it’s in a small way such as singing in the choir if singing is your gift, or working with children if teaching is your gifting, or writing for your university paper if writing is your gift. From that point, God will create a pathway for you to elevate yourself higher, expand your territories and reach out to more people. You see it would be great to hear ““Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” Matthew 25:23. The people we see in “Dragon’s Den” and “The Apprentice” did not just rock up their COMPLETE and PERFECT. They had to do a lot of grafting to get there but they each knew their gift, they were confident in what they had to offer and rather than suppressing/ignoring it – they wanted to blow it up and share it! You see, when we are faithful in the little things, we are sure to be faithful in the bigger tasks in life.

–ACTION POINTS –

1. DIE EMPTY

As we develop our God-given gifts, let us not keep it contained and hidden. We do not need gifts “on-lockdown” – no booboo. Instead let there be an outpouring of our gifts into our local and global community. When we eventually leave this earth, let us die empty, knowing we gave this earth our very best – no regrets. You see, an oak tree grows very quickly in its youth but gradually slows at around 120 years. Oaks even shorten with age in order to extend their lifespan. One could liken this highlighted sentence to us emptying ourselves into people on the earth through our gifts and rather than extending our lifespan, we are extending our life’s legacy.

2. Quercus robur (STRENGTH)

So this is the Latin name for oak tree – pretty cool huh? This is the kind of strength which is “…independent of the co-operation and good-will of others.” So essentially, despite the opposition you may face against your gifts, push through it. Show power and strength by sharing your gifts, you are the main driving force of that gift. God has placed it in you…but He gives you the freewill to decide what happens to it.

3. Be a vessel

“Their open canopy enables light to penetrate through to the woodland floor, allowing bluebells and primroses to grow below.”

In sharing your gifts with others, be it public speaking, drawing, dancing etc or even sharing your financial wealth – God could work through you, to shed His light on others. As you faithfully honour gifts, He will honour you and bless you and others through that. Never underestimate what you can do with a gift or the impact you can make on people’s lives. Think of all our great poets, engineers, and scientists – God placed in them something GREAT but that wouldn’t have manifested unless they had STEPPED INTO that greatness.

Peace  n Love. ^_^