Notice and Do

“Notice what you can do and do it.”

I still hear my mom’s voice as I type out those words. Mom and Dad raised four kids, maintained jobs, and served in the church my dad still pastors. Like many families, managing and caring for my childhood home required everyone in the family to contribute. We simply needed each other to flourish.

Mom would tell us kids that when we walked into a room our responsibility was to notice something we could do and do it. That something didn’t need to be specific or elaborate. Just notice and do – that’s all.

Naturally, each of us gravitated towards different chores and activities. For example, my older brother tended to notice intricate tasks that required some degree of detail, while my younger sister naturally gravitated towards tasks that allowed her to utilize her creativity. Knowing them as the adults they are today, I can assure you that he is still more likely to organize a box of cords while she is more drawn to design and décor. Furthermore, I can better recognize how each of our personalities influenced the way we participated in our childhood home.

As I reminisce over this, I cannot help but think about how the Creator God chose to entrust humanity with a shared responsibility and invited each of us to contribute out of our individual giftedness.

Our Shared Responsibility

The creation story of Genesis chapter one provides a fantastic snapshot of God utilizing His strengths, talents, and abilities to create life and do good. In rhythmic structure, the chapter shows how God designs the world and makes it flourish. Emerging from this context, God created human beings in his image to manage and care for all that He has created in a way that reflects Himself (Genesis 1:26-28). By utilizing their own strengths, talents, and abilities, humanity would mirror God in creating life and doing good. Simply put, God entrusted humanity with the ongoing work of making His world flourish.

Beyond the magnificence of being delegated something so extraordinary, God uniquely designed individual humans to notice different ways they can contribute.

Individual Giftedness

Varying personalities, interests, abilities, ambitions, and experiences underscore individuality and testify of a sovereign God who delights in diversity. Scripture is filled with passages that reveal God at work in and through human uniqueness. David writes of God’s personal attentiveness and says, “I have been remarkably and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14, CSB). When appointing Jeremiah as prophet, God links human design with individual purpose (Jeremiah 1:5). Additionally, the New Testament provides non-exhaustive listings of gifts that invite individuals to explore and contribute their unique abilities to the flourishing of those around them (Romans 12:6-8; I Corinthians 12:7-11; I Peter 4:10-11; Ephesians 4:11).

While portions of the above lists are augmented with specific instructions for a church institution, Christians must realize that individual giftedness spans beyond the realms of any organization. In a recent podcast, Dr. Darrell Bock pointed this out by stating, “Everywhere God has his sacred people becomes sacred space.”[i] While many believers exercise their abilities within the walls of their local church, many of the same exercise their strengths in the marketplace and beyond. Not only is this good, but it is also necessary. We cannot tend to the flourishing of the whole world if we limit our communal energy to any isolated context.

Diverse but Equal

When it comes to contributing to the world around us, the opportunities are truly endless. One might notice a need to educate and equip others. In turn, that person might just be a fantastic school teacher, professor, or mentor. Another might notice a need for leadership and pursue a life of public service or pioneer a movement promoting healthy change. Yet, another might have a unique knack for systematizing and thrive in a career of logistical engineering. Still, others notice fresh ideas, see opportunities to develop concepts, or even find innovative ways to enrich the lives of others through healthcare, entertainment, or visual arts. 

We each tend to notice different things – not better or worse, not more or less important, just

different. But humanity flourishes only as much as it encourages and empowers individuals to operate out of their God-given design. The Bible affirms this by instructing us to exercise our differences humbly so that we can grow, mature, and build up one another (Romans 12:6; I Corinthians 12:12-21; I Peter 4:10; Ephesians 4:11). When it comes to carrying out humanity’s shared responsibility, every human proves essential.

Notice and Do

So, what is it that you notice? Perhaps you should do it.

Maybe God has placed a desire in you to write, speak, paint, draw, perform, preach, bake, clean, lead, organize, entertain, build, design, or __________________. Whether one thing or a great many things, embrace whatever you notice as an opportunity to contribute to the world around you.

But don’t just notice what pertains to you. Let’s help others notice what they can do as well. Through verbal affirmation, we provide others with a lens for how they might participate. If possible, let’s connect one another to opportunities and enable each other to exercise our giftedness. Let’s encourage, equip, and empower one another in full conviction of our need for each other.

Perhaps as we each notice and do, we will get to create life, do good, and make the world flourish together.

Just notice and do – that’s all.

[i] Bock, Darrell and Hendricks, Bill (Contributors). (2020, December 7). How to Discover Your Giftedness [Audio Podcast]. Retrieved from https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-table-podcast/id586379713.