What a difference a lunch makes.

Yesterday a dear friend decided to treat me and a handful of other hardworking moms to an elegant, gourmet lunch in her home. I felt spoiled the entire time. Fancy dishes. Roses floating in silver vases. Baked brie, tarts, and chocolate cheesecake. You get the idea.

Why am I sharing this experience with you?

Because it profoundly influenced the way I view the gifts I’ve been given. The lunch jumpstarted my longing to invest and share with others.

My friend is an amazing cook. She has Martha Stewart skills in the kitchen and around her home.

And here’s the kicker. She lavished those skills on us, her friends. When she raised her glass for a toast, tears sprung to her eyes. She thanked us for the role we play in her life and told us she wanted to give back because we give so much to our families.

See, what leaves the deepest impression on me is the decision she made to spend the time and effort following through with her idea. We all can readily think of ways to be nice to our friends, maybe a compliment here or loaning a sweater there. But taking an entire day out of our lives to work hard making them feel loved and pampered—that is what encouraged me most.

This leads me to ask: what is your gift?

What has God uniquely designed you to do? Do you love craft projects? Does spending a day grooming the family pet sound appealing to you? How about singing—do you have a voice that makes people stop what they’re doing to listen? We all have strengths and things we enjoy doing.

My next question is how can you use your strengths to bless and encourage others?

My friend will never know how much her thoughtful gesture meant to me. The holidays have a way of inducing more stress than necessary. The lunch my friend prepared deflated the ballooning stress and reminded me of the beauty and joy of giving.

Are you willing to take an idea of how you might bless someone and put it into practice
today?

Wendy Miller’s work has been published in inspirational books, online magazines and on numerous websites. She is passionate about encouraging women through writing and speaking, and currently Wendy leads a small group of seniors from her church. Raising her three little girls, writing novels, creating craft projects, and hiking are other ways she enjoys spending her time. Feel free to visit her blog to peek inside the window of her thoughts as she actively pursues what it means to follow the Lord. Wendy's Website