Overcoming Inferiority by using your gift

“Cultivate your own capabilities. Rabbits don’t fly. Eagles don’t swim. Ducks look funny trying to climb. Squirrels don’t have feathers. Stop comparing. Enjoy being you! There’s plenty of room in the forest.” -Charles Swindoll

Jesus told a story of a man who had been given a single talent. If everyone else had received the same, he probably would have taken it gladly. But because it was less cash than the others around him were given, he hid his coin in a napkin, buried it, and did nothing further until he shamefacedly handed it back to the king.

When reading that story one day, I was startled to think that I might be doing the same thing this poor fellow did. It wasn’t money I was working with, but it was a gift all the same. Sitting in a mud puddle of negative feelings, I was going to have nothing to offer Christ when He came for me except the shame of having done nothing at all.

Today: Recognize that God has given you a gift. It may not be the gift you hoped for nor the one in the limelight. But thank God that He has given you a way to bless those around you. Find ways to cultivate and use your gift instead of petulantly hiding it in a napkin because you wanted the gift your friend received.

What do you enjoy doing? Chances are you have been gifted in things that spark your interest. Do you enjoy working with children? Baking? Writing? Teaching? Helping people? Find a sense of fulfillment in using your gift to bless someone else, no matter how small it feels to you.