What are Your Available Resources?

I work in a building that holds a lot of learning resources, books, magazines, encyclopedia, films, computers, maps, artifacts and old records of the past.  My everyday job is to tutor college students in English composition as well as college algebra, biology, history, government and the humanities.  In other words, I am a resource that students can come to again and again to build their skills of writing and expression.  I am a resource that, so far, has not run out.  I have a growing knowledge base and almost endless patience.  What I cannot supply, I refer to someone else who can supply the need. 

This continent of North America was discovered to be one of seemingly endless natural resources.  We know that is not entirely true, but there are many, many natural resources which have been part of the capital used to build the wealth of North America.  Most nations of the world have some type of valuable commodity hidden in their soil, rocks, or water.  Autonomous nations such as Iceland and Greenland, which have long been considered second rate because of their remoteness and small populations, are becoming more interesting to international speculators.  The truth is that they have valuable resources but their populations are small and their winters are harsh, so much of the land has been left unspoiled.  All nations have something that can be considered a natural resource, whether biotic or abiotic. 

The same is true of many women.  Their valuable resources have not been exploited, nor even noticed.  They are left to figure out their value on their own.  But Ladies, I want you to know that you are a most valuable and precious asset to this world.  If a woman can realize the potential within her, she can be a powerhouse of energy, strength and wisdom.  She can empower others around her and give them courage to overcome obstacles that have stood for centuries.  The time has come to rise up as, not just a force of power, but as a voice of reason in the cacophony of bitter, hateful noise all around us.  Women, made in the image of God, were also given a heart of compassion which must be nourished and fertilized so that it can actually touch other hearts. 

Our resources are deep.  They must be mined as carefully as diamonds.  And they are far more valuable than diamonds.  They mold the lives of the people we work with, play with, teach and serve.  So, if anyone in your life ever says that you are “worthless,” you must have pity on that person who does not see your potential power and your worth.  That person is ignorant of true value. 

Sometimes we don’t see our own value or the value of our resources.  Remember the story of the widow in Israel who went to Elisha for help to pay debts her husband had left.  Her sons were about to be sold into slavery to pay the debts and she was desperate.  Elisha replied to her, “How can I help you? Tell me, what do you have in your house?”

This story fascinates me because it focuses on what resources are available. 

“Your servant has nothing there at all,” she said, “except a small jar of olive oil.”  A small jar of olive oil does not sound like much at all.  It can be used for cooking and for a skin emollient, but not a lot else.  However, oil was a necessity in that climate and she only had a little bit.  Elisha told the widow to, “Go around and ask all your neighbors for empty jars. Don’t ask for just a few. 4 Then go inside and shut the door behind you and your sons. Pour oil into all the jars, and as each is filled, put it to one side”(II Kings 4:1-7).

Did you see that?  Ask your neighbors for empty jars.  Don’t ask for just a few!   Ask for all they have.  Get a lot of jars ready.  This is going to be big! 

This poor woman did what she was told.  She and her sons started pouring oil into the empty jars and it kept flowing until all the jars were full!  From a small jar of oil, she filled many, many jars and after selling the oil, ended up with enough money to pay off her husband’s debts, save her sons from slavery and live on the money that was left over!  That was truly a miracle of provision! 

When Elisha asked her “What do you have in your house?” she could have said “nothing,” and there would have been nothing to multiply.  But she remembered the oil and that was what was multiplied.  Multiplication is truly an invention of God.  He does it all the time.  He can multiply what you have as well.

What are the resources you bring to the world?  What can be multiplied in your life that will help you, and at the same time, help the people around you?  It may seem simple, but in the right hands it can be powerful! 

Your SMILE!  When you smile, you lift the cares off the shoulders of others.  When you answer a harsh word with a smile and a nod, the people are disarmed.  The harshness may not disappear immediately, but it slowly will dissipate. A smile tells others that you are confident, secure and hopeful.  It bespeaks sincerity and commitment to do what is right.  It is a relaxing release of tension.  Never underestimate the power of your smile.  It is extremely powerful!  It is like a sword to break down strongholds of fear and discouragement.  Genuine smiles are contagious, especially when coupled with helpful and encouraging words.  “Everything will be all right.  Don’t worry; I am here.  What can I do to help?  I like you!  You have potential!”  A smile can say all these things and much more!  Your smile can open doors for you.  It can help to build relationships, develop understanding, and pave the way for peace.  When you stop smiling, you know there is trouble in your life.  To lighten the troubles for a while, just smile! 

Your EXPERIENCE!  You are unique.  Some combinations of things in your life are unlike any of your peers.  There are so many variations on experiences which form our characters and personalities that nobody is exactly like anybody else.  When I share growing up experiences with my adult siblings, none of us remembers past events in exactly the same ways.  Our own perspective takes on new depth as we share what each of us felt or went through.  Sharing our experiences helps other people see life events with a different pair of eyes, more objectively and more completely.  Although your experience is unique, it is not the only true perspective!  But your experience is a true resource!  It can be a blessing to those around you!  Speak it sparingly so that you don’t sound like you know everything.  But give it joyfully when asked and you will be asked more often!  Your experience is like the living natural resources – trees, plants, animals.  It is life and it is wisdom.  Regard your experience as a renewable resource in your life.  It keeps getting richer as you go through life. 

Your ENERGY!  The world is very competitive when it comes to finding energy sources and marketing them.  Oil, gas and coal have been used throughout the last two centuries but before that energy for building and manufacturing came from hard human and animal labor and the burning of wood or other combustibles.  Hard human labor is still a powerful source of energy for the world.   Although many jobs do not require heavy lifting or pushing and pulling, many do, such as helping people from one bed to another, pushing a wheelchair, lifting children or bedridden patients, gardening, building, sorting, cataloguing, moving, cooking, cutting, sewing, mowing, working with large animals or with large machinery.  Women do all these things.  They fight fires with heavy equipment, march as infantry carrying heavy packs and guns, and bear young humans from the womb until they are walking.  Women do work that requires health and energy every day!  But that is not all!  Women have an energy for conversation, teaching, planning, writing, speaking and innovating.  Your energy to get a job done is a powerful force that inspires and motivates all those around you.  A person who is lazing about, day after day, does not inspire others to be productive.  That person brings down the productivity of the whole family, team or office.  But one who gets up and gets going everyday with a smile is the one other people count on to carry the workload.  Yes, your energy is a valuable resource!

Your COMPASSION!  One dictionary defines compassion as “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.” Compassion is a powerful motivator to intervene and help those who are in mental, emotional or physical pain.  It is often the motivation behind starting foundations or service organizations that reach out to specific needs of people.  One young lady I know started fundraising for money to help people with brain cancer after her father died from the disease.  People were inspired to give so much that she had to start a foundation to handle the financial end of things so that she could give to families who experienced what hers had gone through.  Her compassion grew through her family’s experience, and when she acted on it, many others were blessed and impacted.  When people see one person showing compassion, it is a catalyst for them to do the same.  Wow!    

Your INTEGRITY!  Honesty really is the best policy.  When you stand up for principles of honesty, hard work, commitment, ethics, morality and purity, you are drawing a line in the sand that sets you apart nobly.  In this world, we see lack of integrity everywhere.  People do not know who they can trust anymore.  The opposite of integrity is visible all around us as it is stirred up by the media.  Dishonesty, favoritism, inequity, injustice, partiality, unfairness, unlawfulness, unreasonableness, untruth, wrong, are words that describe the absence of integrity.  When you are standing up for a standard, you are above these descriptions and acting for the good of humanity, not your selfish desires.  So, integrity is far more valuable than gold.  A poor but honest person is worth far more many billionaires who gained wealth dishonestly, no matter how many charities they support!  Dishonesty is a cancer that grows and flourishes in deceit and oppression.  Ladies, we must stand for honesty and integrity.  Our word must be good.  We need to speak rationally and honestly with concern for the welfare of others.  Integrity is pure gold in the resources we carry. 

Your HOPE!  I consider hope to be a powerful tool to keep people motivated, on track and lined up with a vision of something better than the status quo.  Without hope, we will all languish and give up.  We must maintain hope in the midst of pain, suffering, discouragement and even death.  Hope is a spiritual asset because it takes place in the mind and the will.  With hope we can look for a brighter tomorrow and make it through today.  Hope is an antidote for depression.  Hope builds up our resolve to keep struggling until the breakthrough.  There is so much to be said for hope that I will have to talk about this later on.  Proverbs 13:12 says, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but desire fulfilled is a tree of life (KJV).  When you have hope in your list of resources, you can see past the dirty diapers, sticky floor and piles of laundry.  You can wake up in the morning with resolve to make a change and fix a problem.  Hope stirs up the heart which gets the whole body involved.  Never give up on hope.  Another scripture, Ecclesiastes 9:4, says that “But all who are among the living have hope, because a living dog is better than a dead lion.”  Life if strong; life is connected to the Creator.  Even that gives us a little hope.  If you are a hopeful person, you have a vital resource to carry you and those around you into a better day tomorrow.  You are a hero! 

You see, it does not take money or power to make changes in the world around you.  You have within you a wealth of riches that are precious, unique and much needed in this world.  As you focus on these more, you will use them more readily.  You will demonstrate wisdom and level-headed thinking when others panic.  You will foresee possible trouble and avoid it.  You will learn to leverage your experience and integrity to benefit others.  You will also encourage growth and development in others.  You will smile and laugh at calamity because you have faith and hope that good will win in the end!