Have you ever given someone a gift or made something special for someone and you are SO excited to give it to them…and when you do, they set it aside like its NO big deal?
Well I have felt this hurtful feeling before, and I imagine that this is how God feels sometimes too.
When we are given an opportunity to use our talents and we set them aside, we are rejecting a beautiful gift from God. He has given each and everyone of us a special gift or talent in our lives. I realize that God has given me many gifts and opportunities along the way that I have not opened because I have believed the lies of the enemy. I am often too scared to take the next step in my faith, so I let many gifts slip away. I have always compared my life and my walk with Christ to others which leaves me feeling upset and broken…this is not what God intended. God made me beautifully and perfectly in his image and my walk with him is one of a kind. He has blessed me with an abundance of gifts and as long as I accept those gifts he will continue to challenge me in ways I could never even imagine.
At the end of training camp,God handed me a gift that I was scared to open and I started to reject it at first. I asked him, “God, are you sure you want to give ME this opportunity/gift? You want me to…..LEAD?" Out of everyone, I was asked to be a small group leader for a team of women on this upcoming 11 month journey around the world? In my mind, there was no way God called ME out of all of the amazing and gifted people at camp to lead a small group. I have never done anything like it before..there was NO way! Then I realized that I was listening to the lies that have consumed my life and have held me back from opportunities in the past. If this is what God called me to do, I would not reject this opportunity and gift he had placed before me.
I am accepting this gift with open arms because I believe that this is what God wants. No matter my struggles, my past, my regrets, or my weaknesses…. God believes in me and would not have given me this gift if he thought otherwise. I am about to be stretched and grow in ways I never thought I could…but with Jesus right by my side guiding me every step of the way, I know I can do it!
-The best way to say “thank-you” for God’s gifts is to use them 🙂
-“Do not neglect the gift that is in you.” – 1 Timothy 4:14
“God did not give us a spirit that makes us afraid but a spirit of power and love and self control.”
-2 Timothy 7
