“To take only what is given, to use it well, to be grateful for the gift, and to reciprocate the gift…” writes Robin Wall Kimmerer, is to live by the “precepts of the Honorable Harvest.” The Honorable Harvest, according to Kimmerer, is “an indigenous canon of principles and practices that govern the exchange of life for life.” Passed orally through generations of indigenous people, their aim is to shape relationships between humans and the natural word. As I learned about these ways of living from Kimmerer in her book, Braiding Sweetgrass, I was struck by the similarities between the Honorable Harvest and Peter’s well-known words regarding gifts: “to use whatever gifts we have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10)

While Peter was referring to spiritual gifts and Kimmerer’s focus is on the bounty of creation, the guidance is the same: accept what we did not earn and use it for the common good. Of particular interest to me is that neither Peter nor the indigenous elders instruct us to identify with our gifts or become experts in them. Instead, we are to approach them with gratitude, faithfulness and humble stewardship.

Between spiritual gift inventory surveys, the Enneagram, MBTI, and tests like Strengthsfinder, I can fall into feeling defined and pressured by my God-given “gifts.” From efforts to hone in on their specifics to feeling compelled to develop high-level skills related to the gifts, I so often miss the step - and meaning - of acceptance.

Comparing God equipping me with certain talents to our local U-Pick field of strawberry plants offering bright, sweet nourishment feels like course correction. I approach the plants with respect and gentleness. Each juicy bite fills me with gratitude and awe at the stark difference between the taste of a freshly picked berry and one that comes from a plastic container. At home, as I rinse and dry the bounty, I start planning what new recipes we will try and with whom we will share. From start to finish, there is no pressure or guilt, but a thread of joyful acceptance. And I wonder, “could Peter’s words point to an Honorable Harvest within us?” To approach our spiritual gifts like freshly picked strawberries feels right, true, and lovely, just how God intended.