This quote hit me like a ton of bricks. Why do we compare ourselves to others? I do it all the time. God has given me gifts and talents, but
others are better, way better, at them than I am. So then, do mine have any value?
We are all unique.
Webster defines it as being the only one; without like or equal. Psalm 139:13-16 is God’s definition:
Oh yes, you shaped me
first inside, then out,
you formed me in my
mother’s womb
I thank you, High God
– you’re breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am
marvelously made!
I worship in adoration
– what a creation!
You know me inside and
out,
you know every bone in
my body,
You know exactly how I
was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted
from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you
watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my
life were spread out before you.
The days of my life
all prepared before I’d even lived one day.
-The Message
God created us
on and with a purpose. Not just the
color of our hair or the size of our feet but He appointed each gift and talent
that we possess. He knows us and created
us inside and out. He planned our days
before we had even lived one! Think
about that! He wrote the script. He authored the story. He
fashioned the entire book of our life before we were even a twinkle in our
parent's eyes.
If I believe
God is who He says He is and His Word is true then I must believe my eyes are blue
on purpose. I am 5’9” tall for a reason and that my love of writing is from Him.
That when I sing in worship to Him, He stops to listen with the same intensity
as when Kari Jobe or Chris Tomlin sings.
When we use
our God-given gifts and talents for Him, we add color to the glory of God. We bring life to the full picture of His
creation. We don’t know who our story or
song will touch but God does. We just need to have a willing and obedient heart.
1 Peter 4:7-11
says:
Stay
wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on
it.
Love
makes up for practically anything.
Be
quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully.
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—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!
-The
Message
So I say,
sing. Sing loud! Write.
A lot! Speak. Share your story! Babysit; fix a car; mow a lawn, cook a
meal; paint a room. Serve! Whatever talent or gift God has given you – USE IT!
Don’t compare it! Just use it! God will take your light and amplify it. Our gifts and talents will make a difference
for His kingdom because of Him not because of us.
