THE GIFT YOU CARRY

All of us have something that the world needs. It is for us to discover. As I reflected on Joseph in Genesis 40, it dawned on me he knew what he had. When the opportunity arises for him to use his gifts, he discerns and ceases the moment. While he was in prison, he observed the looks on two of Pharoah’s employees’ faces. He knew the gift he was carrying so he sought to find out why Pharoah’s Servants were unhappy. How did he do this? He did it by asking a question. He asked the question to the right persons, the wretched employees who were in custody with him. Pharoah’s dejected officials discovered something more depressing than being in prison. They have found that receiving a dream without an interpretation is far worse than the jail experience. Some people can relatively hide their problems while working but there will be a time when something bothers them that they can’t help but wear it on their faces or however they choose to. When this happens, you have to be on the alert like Joseph. That moment will schedule your promotion. After Joseph seized the moment and gave the two inmates clarity on the dream they received, he asked one, the cupbearer – someone who serves wine – to remember him. That was the one who benefited from the gift Joseph carried. In contrast to that, out of the two inmates, the dream the chief baker expressed captured my attention the most. It caught my focus because he carried a basket with the finest pieces of bread without protecting it from scavengers. If he had covered the gift he was giving, Pharoah would have been able to unwrap freshly baked bread. Some of the gifts were already broken and shared with others before they arrived. We need to recognize our gifts and it is just as vital to discern when to share them with others. The key to sharing our gifts is to be willing to attend to the needs of people around us. Some people are hurting. Some people need clarity. You might be the Joseph that will cause the corners of their mouths to turn up and their teeth exposed. Or, you might be the waiter or baker who carries the gifts. If you are the chief cook, you have to protect the gifts you are bringing. You can’t leave it for scavengers to enjoy before it reaches its destination or the hands of the receiver.