Don't Diminish The Opportunity To Cultivate Your Gifts

This month we are talking about the gifts you're carrying. Understanding your gifts is vital to your life. When you know the gifts you possess, you can show up in the world with confidence and clarity on the work God has called you to do, whether in corporate, church, or at home.

The beautiful thing I love about our gifts is that we don't have to cultivate them alone. We won't be given additional responsibility without the gifts, and the posture towards those gifts is in a position to please God.

We find that annoying many times but think about it as this God loves us so much that we won't walk into a place unprepared. Sheeesh, depending on your organization, they quickly put you in a position with little to no training. God isn't like that, and we have him with us every step of the way. We should find comfort in the fact that I may not know how, but after I get out of my feelings, I find comfort in who and knowing that God is with me.

Here, we cannot diminish the opportunity to cultivate my gifts, the opportunity to develop them in smaller settings that don't have a spotlight or a lot of people. I can practice environments where I am not judged but loved and encouraged to try again. If David had diminished his role as a shepherd boy, he would have been able to make the connection between his role as a shepherd boy and God being our shepherd and create one of the most famous passages we love quoting today.

Psalm 23 A Psalm of David

1 The Lord is my shepherd;

I have all that I need.

2 He lets me rest in green meadows;

he leads me beside peaceful streams.

3 He renews my strength.

He guides me along the right paths,

bringing honor to his name.

4 Even when I walk

through the darkest valley,[a]

I will not be afraid,

for you are close beside me.

Your rod and your staff

protect and comfort me.

5 You prepare a feast for me

in the presence of my enemies.

You honor me by anointing my head with oil.

My cup overflows with blessings.

6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me

all the days of my life,

and I will live in the house of the Lord

When we start looking at those small places as opportunities to cultivate our gifts, we become more in love with the gifter, and no matter where we go, we use those gifts to give him glory. Our desire for eternal rewards becomes more critical than cultural fame.