“Our gifts aren’t from God to us, but to the world through us.”
–Emily Freeman
A few months ago in Nicaragua, I was praying, and the Lord really spoke something to me:
“Use the gifts I’ve given you.”
After hearing that, I spent some time asking myself what those gifts were:
I speak Spanish. I play guitar. I have wisdom. I am a leader.
As I was thinking about it, I realized that too often, I shy away from doing things even though I am gifted in those areas.
About two days after the Lord spoke this to me, Katie asked if I could play some worship after she gave a sermon at the church we were visiting, and I agreed to do it.
Before she spoke, I prayed for her, and since I was going to play guitar and sing, she also prayed for me. Something she said during the prayer was, “I pray that she would use the gifts you’ve given her for your glory.”
I’m my own worst critic, so I wish I could sing and play better, but what matters is that the name of the Lord was glorified.
Then the very next day, we were visiting some homes of church members to encourage them and pray with them. I was in a group of people who only spoke either English or Spanish, so I served as the translator.
Even though I love translating, home visits aren’t my favorite thing so I was less than excited and even thought to myself, “I wish I didn’t speak Spanish.”
But later on we met a woman who had been in church but stopped going because she felt that she didn’t measure up. Thankfully, we got the opportunity to pray for her.
While we were talking to her, I was really stumbling over my Spanish, just trying to make basic conversation. But when Jaide prayed over her and I was translating, the Holy Spirit gave me words, and I felt that I had translated the prayer almost perfectly.
After we left her house, Kay told me that she had been praying for my translation the whole time. We were able to speak life inter her and encourage her because Jaide, Kay, and I were all walking in our gifts and being led by the Holy Spirit.
God gives us gifts for two reasons: to bless others and to bring him glory. He doesn’t give us gifts to build ourselves up in the world’s eyes.
It’s all for him!
If we don’t use the gifts he gives us, we are denying the God of the universe the praise and glory he deserves, and we deprive those around us of the blessing that comes from us walking in those gifts.
I learned (and I’m constantly learning) that I need to get over my insecurity because the gifts God gave me aren’t for me anyway! They are given to me so I can give them right back.
For me, it took a little encouragement from the people around me to see that not only did I have gifts and talents from the Lord, but also that I needed to seize the opportunity to use them for his glory.
What gifts has the Lord given you?
Are you using them to glorify God and bless others around you?
