All persons of mental and physical balance have gifts that may or may not be utilized up to the level of which the gifted person is able. Many do poorly, and in the course of events either lose the primary and neglected gift or function at acceptable levels so to be honored of God for discipleship. The theme is large, but not really cultivated in child nurture or formal education. Part of this omission is likely due to an feeling that the more gifted persons in the human mix will find their way, by dint of their elevation above general norms. Not all of the super-gifted persons have the energy, the self-administration, the opportunity, or even awareness of their gifted application in a life context that will result in a creative approach to life. They may be trapped by poor personalities, by ego issues, by materialism so to reduce what they accomplish. I have met some of these persons, both secular and devout, and they have impressed me both in the awesome gifts themselves, and the ranges of management for gifted persons. That management is both in the gifted and in the way others with whom they have to do manage gifted persons. Scripture makes clear that gifts are given to mankind; that the gifted are responsible for the gifts; that life fulfillment is related to the application of our gifts; and, there is award for faithfulness in practicing gifts.
In one of his always interesting panels, l. k. hanson quoted Jean de La Bruyere from the seventeenth century: From time to time there appear on the face of the earth men of rare and consummate excellence, who dazzle us by their virtue, and whose outstanding qualities shed a stupendous light. Like those extraordinary stars of whose origins we are ignorant, and of whose fate, once they have vanished, we know even less, such men have neither forebears nor descendants: they are the whole of their race. The statement is inspiring to thought, to the exceptions of the quotation, perhaps to the virtue of only that related to the excellent gift and not the whole imperfect person. The magnificent art of Michaelangelo was the product of a gifted artist and thinker who was not easy to get along with. His excellent gifts would have left even more products had he been less taken with his private daemons. (I am aware that some analysts believe the inner tension was important to the art, ideas and mechanics he left to society. We are not astute enough to know to what degree the negatives of lives contribute to benefit. Even if only moderately influential would not inner balance do more for life than the goads of the negatives?)
The truth is that there are those belonging to the genius contexts of life in any field, and we do not manage the matter really well in application and cultivation. What forms persons like the Apostle Paul, or Augustine, or Luther and many scores of others in the Christian context? I avoid naming those in my lifetime because the debate over who belongs on the elevations of our cultures might lose the awareness that there are special persons in every generation who could turn things around, could add blessing, might speed reform, offers ways to peace, progress, administration, recovery, righteousness – and the list of needs grows long – long but not too long. If those who believe in freedom, believe in progress, believe God assists in meeting the requirements of both earth’s and heaven’s life were humble enough to follow and work for the common good we would find leaders of excellence whose minds and souls hovered above the standard. In the spiritual understanding of the variant gifts in persons we find the equality of God – many members with variant assignments for the good of all. God’s formation, even in the Trinity of God, is that together we are one body. He is making of his children one temple of God composed of lively stones. That one is, all are – mystery. That given to one is to all. Mystery must accept faith. *Mark W. Lee, Sr. — 2016, 2020