And, your name is…?

Friday the 13th I had surgery (sorry to the superstitious types). They found some endometriosis and removed it. So, this past week has been much slower than normal. So, there has been some time to think and sleep and be served by my Greg.
Ever had one of those thoughts that just makes you stop and go aha? (I guess some would call that an epiphany.) I had one of those this week. I have most important thoughts in the shower–don’t know why.
One of my “curses” in life is always remembering people’s names and stories. (Greg’s curse is that he has a hard time remembering my name). I will run into someone in the grocery store I knew some random month of my life and call them by name, and they will look at me like I am crazy. It does not feel good for others not to remember you, but I am used to it now. My favorite game to play is “where do I know you from” whether it be on movies or in real life. I have several contexts to draw upon–hometown, family friends, college and the various circles I ran in, Centrifuge, Hendersonville after college, Texas, Greg’s speaking circuit, grad school, Knoxville, work world, Fellowship church world, Refuge in Nashville, women I have lead in Bible study, CAK students and parents, and the myriad college students that have come through Crossroad, etc. Sometimes I can drive myself crazy, but most of the time, I remember.
I guess I have seen it as a gift to make people feel special by remembering their name and what their story is,
but not useful in a grand scheme. As I was thinking the other day, it is like God showed me the worth of that gift and how it is from Him. I am in a position now where I lead women of all ages and have contact with women around the area. I can only be in deep relationship with few, but I have people all the time who ask for someone to disciple them, who are open to discipling someone else or who are struggling with a need but do not even know that they need to be connected. Just in the past month, those matches have been made frequently from me remembering the struggles and stories from women in different cities and towns from Knoxville to Athens to Memphis. A light bulb went off in my head and I saw there is a kingdom purpose for this gift that he has given me. It is not a curse. It serves as a blessing to strengthen the growth of others in a small way. I began thinking about how Greg remembers everything he has ever read or watched (which is amazing because I do not) and how that serves a kingdom purpose in teaching.
All of this to say, you never know what random talent you might have that is of worth and importance to the kingdom. Do not overlook how you are made. All of these working together strengthen the body. It was a gift to see that it was not about me but about helping others.