Talents - by Stephanie McFadden

God has shown you his grace in many different ways. So be good servants and use whatever gift he has given you in a way that will best serve each other.  

1 Peter 4:10 (ERV)

God made each one of us unique. We all have different things we’re good at: our talents—those things that “just come naturally.” These are gifts from God, specialized for each one of us. God gave us these gifts not for our own display, but for the purpose of showing Jesus’ love to others.  He wants us to use these gifts for His purpose, pointing all the glory to Him.

Example: Last year, the dad of my daughter’s preschool teacher passed away. In memory of him, she wanted to frame a poem as a memorial gift to her mom and a few other close relatives. She found a beautiful poem and wanted it placed on top of an outline of a tree- but she asked me for help to put it all together.  I typed up the poem, center justified it to the tree photo, added his initials to the bottom, and printed on vellum. The whole thing took about 15 minutes of my time, but I cannot tell you how many times she thanked me.  What amazed me the most was that she thanked me for “my talent” because it was “such a blessing” to her and her family.

A talent? A blessing??? I just hit “print”!! I offered to help because I just wanted to save a wonderful woman some money and help make it look pretty. I have a good printer and I get bulk discounts on paper- - I already had the tools and materials on hand, and I had a few minutes of spare time. I didn’t think it was a talent or a blessing because it was an easy request for me to fulfill-- It was just something I wanted to do to be nice!

.....But, to her, that small project was so much more than “just a print out”. It was something tangible to remind them of her dad’s legacy and new life with Jesus. I didn’t know that it would make that much of a difference to her, her mom, and her family. God used me to give a small level of comfort to a grieving family- That is so amazing and humbling that Little-Ole-Me could be an extension of Jesus.

I’m not telling you this story to toot my own horn—I am telling you this story because what you find as “a given” is the talent God wants you to use.  I find it astonishing that the creator of the world can use each one of us. We can be a blessing to someone else without huge sacrifices, moving mountains, or doing the ‘impossible’...  All you need to do is what you already know – just point the glory to God, and let Him work the miracles through you.

I love The Message’s interpretation of this verse:

Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything. 1 Peter 4:10 (MSG)

So my questions for you today: what special talent/gift have you received from God? How can you use it to glorify Him? Or another way of asking: What do you love to do and how can you use that love to help someone else?

This world is full of negativity, doubt and selfishness.  Be different. Prove there is still good in the world. Actively search for those “Be Jesus” moments, no matter how small or large they may seem. We may never know the extent of our actions in the lives of others: but do it anyway- for God. Maybe that one ‘little’ thing you did brightened someone’s day. Maybe it changes an attitude, removes doubt, starts a relationship with Jesus and changes their eternity. Let God do what He does and let Him use you.  He’s given so much to us, it’s the least we can do for Him.