Use Your Gift

“And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability; and straightway took his journey.” 

Matthew 25:15

I’m thinking about the old fashion, coin operated, candy machines that used to be — the ones where you had to be sure your hand was in just the right position so you’d be certain to catch every piece coming out. Remember those? We sure didn’t want to chance losing any on the floor, did we? Well, that’s kind of what I’ve felt like this morning as I’ve had my alone time with God. 

Thankfully there’s usually always something to write on and with close by when I pray. Today, I felt like I paused to write every few minutes. I love it when God begins to drop those delightful, colorful, confetti pieces into my heart. I don’t want to miss a single one, although I admit there are times when I do.

I always feel closest to God when I write. Actually, whomever I’m writing to feels extra close in those private moments of writing. That’s the way God wired me. I’m learning to enjoy this gift more and more as I grow. I know we don’t all have the same desire or ability to write, understandably, we aren’t clones. God made each of us uniquely and wonderfully different. I ask you though, when do you feel closest to God? What brings you right into His presence without much effort? What comes naturally for you There’s really no wrong answer to that question; I just want you to think about it. God has called each of us to serve Him - and others - with the gifts He’s given us. Isn’t that amazing?

We already have what we need to serve. It’s God given!

Sure, we may have some work to do to make our gift more workable. For example, I just finished a three day virtual writing retreat last week. It was marvelous and fed my desire to encourage and serve with the written word. Others take extra schooling in order to learn to be better listeners and counselors. Others may read a lot more on a particular topic than others would. No matter what our gifting is, we are always expected to embellish or grow it. It’s kind of like putting a coin in the candy machine slot and twisting the knob. God expects us to do our part. 

My mind goes back to the parable of the talents. God gave them all different amounts. The ones who grew them where considered wise, resourceful and to have done a good job by the master. The one who buried it for safe keeping wasn’t so much the same.  This has been on my heart a lot lately. 

Don’t bury your gift! No matter what. God expects us to use what He’s given us to serve Himself and others. 

Let me encourage us all to get ourselves in position to catch every bit of goodness we can from the spout of God’s gifting. Yes, you will probably have to insert a coin. We can’t expect to grow in our ability without it costing something from or of us, but it’s so worthwhile. Again, it will look different for each person, but don’t lose any on the floor. Don’t waste an opportunity, or more importantly, hide your gift. We are relying on you to do you! 

It’s your turn — insert a coin, turn the knob and serve.