I mentioned a few days ago that this week we have friends visiting from Colorado. Our friends David and Deb are here with their daughter Taleen. David has business in Omaha this week (about an hour and a half away from us), so they all decided to come!
Every time they come for a visit, they spoil us rotten. They are very generous and enjoy sharing what they have with others.
The boys now have new socks and jammies and matching sweats. And Matt is now all set for winter with a new work coat and boots and gloves and wool socks. Wow.
AND!!! Deb took me to Maurices and made me try on tons of outfits. I feel like I now have the CUTEST wardrobe. W.O.W. What a huge and generous treat. I’m talking shoes and accessories too, not to mention a pair of new jeans and some tops. Wow. (I’m gonna have to keep saying WOW. Sorry, I can’t help it.) Wow.
Right now, we are in Omaha with them on a little mini vacation. (Except for Matt, who had to stay behind and, you know, work.) :( We’re staying one night with them in a really nice hotel and planning to go to the Air and Space Museum. (I love it when vacation and school happen at the same time.)
Always when we’re with these friends and they are asking things like… “What do the boys need? How’s everyone doing on shoes? When’s the last time you went out to eat and where would you like to go? What does Matt need for work?”… I’m always so overwhelmed with their kind generosity. It’s amazing.
So here are my thoughts.
We’ll never in a million years be able to repay them for what they’ve done for us. But they don’t care. And, they don’t want us to. They don’t need us to.
And while we may never be able to take someone on a shopping spree or go out and buy new shoes for another entire family or take someone on a mini vacation…we can give to others in different ways. In the ways God has blessed us to be able to give.
We all have different gifts and abilities to serve and share with others. Mine just happens to be in the area of food. And hospitality. That’s something I have to offer to others. I can do that.
And that is how I can repay my friends who are being so generous with us. By serving others.
What are the gifts God has given you and how are you using them? Don’t be shy about sharing with us. Sharing about your gifts isn’t showing pride…it’s a praise to God! You’re only good at what you’re good at because GOD made you good at it!!
Marianne says
What a blessing!!! (And by the way, there are just way too many CUTE children in those pictures!)
I’m not quite sure what gifts God has given me to share with my friends. I think before I had a baby and became a hermit, I was a fabulous listener. Maybe that’s it.
Emily Kay says
Well, God has given me the ability to sing well and to relate to kids, so I am the children’s choir director at church. He has also given me a tender heart and a compassion for young unwed mothers. I love pregnancy and babies and educating young women on how to better care for themselves and their children. So, I volunteer at our local women’s resource center. It is such a blessing!
Your new wardrobe is SO cute-I love the purple top:)
Sonshine says
Mine is hospitality and food along with teaching. :) I love to teach little ones about God. I love to give a meal to a new mom & family, or a family whose mom can’t cook because of a terminal illness.
Thanks for sharing! :) I love your new wardrobe!
My MIL is like your friends. Just in the last month, she has given us $$ for truck repairs, and clothes for each of my 5 kids. She is always asking what she can do for us or what she can get get for the kids to help us out. A couple of years ago, when my hubby was unemployed for several months, she actually paid some of our bills. Needless to say, being able to repay her for her generosity is something we will never be able to do! But we just say a simple thank you and love her that seems plenty for her. :)
Andrea says
Can I say WOW too? I have tears rolling down my face. It’s wonderful that there are friends who are so generous!
Gifts? Like you, God has given me the gift of hospitality and ability to cook well. I’m also an encourager, a writer and I’m creative. I try to glorify God with these gifts by using them for my family, church family, friends and strangers.
Thanks for the reminder– “Sharing about your gifts isn’t showing pride…it’s a praise to God! You’re only good at what you’re good at because GOD made you good at it!!”
I’ve struggled with sharing the gifts God’s blessed me with verbally. I’m always afraid people will see that as haughty or arrogant. It took me time to come to the same conclusion you did.
To Marianne: You will not be a hermit forever. I was there and I thought I lost who I was. I couldn’t serve like I had before. God redefined me when I became a new mom. I have to say, he was right! I like who I am today, better than who I was 14 years ago. Go GOD!
Stephanie @ Keeper of the Home says
How beautiful that your friends would do that- such generosity!
I just wanted to say thank you to you for how you do this blog. This, sharing about your love of food and homemaking and hospitality, is a way that you serve others through the gifts God has given you.
Last night, your meal plans and real food series really helped me with some tweaking that needed to be done to my menu planning and food budgeting (the breakdown of your budget was so helpful- thank you for sharing it!). I’m so appreciative, so thanks for serving! :)
The Things We Do says
I really like this post. We had a women’s retreat awhile back on the theme of hospitality with different speakers and they talked about how hospitality looks different one person to the next. Hospitality can almost be exchanged these days in our culture with the word generosity. You are so hospitable Laura through your cooking and meals and your friend is hospitable through her hotel vacation and clothing. Both make you feel loved, cared for, and the sense of comfort like you would at home.
As far as me, like you I can’t bless others the same as your friend….well, I hope to some day when we are done doing Dave Ramsey but for now my talent seems to be the same as yours, having people in my home as over night guests, dinner guests, even just dessert guests (when money is tight), but also outside my home. I try to plan times for the ladies in our church to get together for fellowship as well.
Summer says
My gift is to be able to give a couple we’re close with that are expecting all our baby stuff (clothes, toys, furniture, even formula).
We are blessed to be able to buy all new stuff whenever we have a baby, which allows us to give our “gently used baby stuff” to friends who so much deserve it! I’m taking a car load to them in three weeks in November and I’m so excited for the look on their faces. Not only is it fun to give them hundreds of dollars in free baby stuff but to know that they will sleep a little better feeling prepared for the baby is sooooo worth it!
Christine Steendahl says
Great story. You have been blessed with great friendships.
Mrs. S says
My parents are this way too. They are always grabbing extra for our kids to help us out, like new shoes or coats. I am so appreciative! They acctually bought ALL the diapers for our first two babies, that is two years worth of diapers per child WOW! I have another friend who recently bought a major kitchen appliance for a different friend when their’s broke, just because they could! Talk about using what the Lord has given to you!
I am not sure about my gifts. Still working on that. Like you I love to cook so I do a couple ministries that involve that. I am a great researcher so I often compile stats and stuff for friends searching for info on carseats, vaccines etc. I want to do more but I just don’t know what my God given gifts are??
Denai says
What great friends you have… It is always so wonderful when your gifts compliment eachother!
I am TOLD that I am full of Knowledge! Answers to peoples problems… All my friends say I am INSPERATIONAL with everything! I have taught so many to COOK healthier, to Sew, become more ornganized, to Shop smarter, to be a better wife/mother, etc…
I am no “SCHOOL” smart to say the least, but I do love LEARNING new things that I then inturn love to SHARE!!!!!
Patti says
This is one of the things that we’ve been talking about in our Wednesday night Bible class. In fact, I posted on it today. The whole idea of all the differences in mankind and how we need them all to make things work. We are given certain gifts because of our genetic make-up; other gifts we develop, in part, out of necessity and our environment, then for those who become christians, the Bible says, “We’re given spiritual gifts as well.” Last night in class we took a Spiritual Gifts inventory. My highest are Shepherd and Teacher (I love being a little like my BIG BROTHER!)
Oh, BTW Laura, two things:
1. The gift of hospitality means that you are a WALKING HOSPITAL!
2. Your friends have been sent by GOD! Over the years we have had others give us gifts of hospital bills paid, mortgage payments paid, and even recently a years salary equivalent for me.
God’s family is unbelieveable when everyone uses their gifts to glorify Him!!!!
Sherry says
What a blessing to have such wonderful friends! :D Praise God!! :D
Our pastor was just talking last night about using our gifts for God. This post was so timely. :D
I believe my gifts are also in the area of food and hospitality. I love giving food gifts to friends. :D
Barbara says
WOW! You are blessed with great friends! We use to be in a position to do similar things for friends and family and I thoroughly enjoyed it, and I don’t ever expect anything in return. (The sad part is that certain family members resented it and thought we were being proud – we weren’t; we had extra and thought it was what we should do with it.) Unfortunately my husband’s business took a turn for the worse (he hired a guy that turned out to be a traitor – within a year he hacked into our files and got legal documents and ended up taking away our biggest clients).
Moving right along . . . we are not in that season of life anymore – probably the exact opposite – but God always supplies our NEEDS. Lots of times it’s through my mother who sends whatever she can – food, clothing, money.
My gift is hospitality. I enjoy cooking for other people, taking meals to those in need, and having guests in my home. So now I’m off to get that Pie Ebook so that I can make pies for everyone!!
THANK YOU : – )
Tania says
What wonderful friends! I too feel overwhelmed and happy for you! That is pretty special not just because needs were met, but you have special friends like that.
Deb Lee says
i love you laura!! thanks for the story and a reminder of WHY GOD has blessed me…i needed to read this today!! I had NO idea you posted this! Maybe I should READ your blog MORE OFTEN!!!!!!