it reminds me of the story of the young boy who newly discovers he can create fire in the palm of his hands.  in his excitement with his new found talent, the boy begins to fling fire every which way, haphazardly setting fire to everything that is in his path and destroying everything around him.  it’s not until some wise monk comes along, and not only teaches him how to use the fire but also the responsibility that comes with it, that the boy is able to put his talent to good use.

this story is more relevant to many of us than we care to know or believe.  we smooth talk people one way and outsmart people another.  we use our gifts to bring people together to create unhealthy situations and our foresight to steer people in the wrong direction.  and just like with the young boy, people get hurt.  we may not even be doing it on purpose, nor may we be aware of the consequences, but the fact remains that our actions can create causalities when mis-applied in ways that aren’t always in the best interest of the people we touch.

how are you applying your gifts, talents, and unique factors today?  are you using them to make this world better or are you creating destruction everywhere you go?  are you playing with fire?