Living with a Future and a Hope

I once visited a woman who was sick with a chronic condition and had a concern about her ability to continue to serve God with the gifts he had given her.  She wondered if her life was over.  We look at the theological issue of whether we can earn gifts from God.  It's a complex issue with a few different perspectives presented in the Bible.  We try to come to a conclusion about what it means to be blessed by God, what we are supposed to do with these gifts, and when and how we receive them.