Are you afraid to use your gifts?

• By candidasullivan
• June 26, 2024
• No Comments

It can be terrifying to start. We worry about what others will think of us. I remember staring at the blank screen, with the little cursor flashing, and being afraid to allow myself to write. In some ways, I was scared of what I might uncover in myself. Writing pulls back the layers and lets me get to know the person underneath it all.

It exposes me and invites me to see things about myself and my life that I don’t want to know.

The hardest part for me was opening myself up and sharing my fears, scars, hopes, and dreams, only to have other people tell me I had changed. And it wasn’t in a good way.

Sweet friends, we can grow and change and become the best version of ourselves. We don’t need anyone’s permission to live our truth.

I used to worry so much about what others might think of me. I constantly censored my words and actions. I lived for the acceptance of others instead of the authenticity of who I am. And it made me completely miserable.

But I learned a valuable lesson: when we suppress who we really are to please others, we die a little inside. We become a character in someone else’s story. The emptiness causes us to drift through our days and barely survive.

On the other side of it all is great power. When we live authentically as our most authentic selves, we become stronger and someone God can truly use.

God needs us to use our gifts to do His work. We can’t use someone else’s gifts, and we aren’t fulfilled by chasing someone else’s dream. The only way to get the deepest level of fulfillment is to follow God and use our gifts.

He gave them to us for a reason. God gave us what we need to use our gifts and do His work. But He didn’t give us the tools and ability to mimic someone else and find true joy.

To use my gifts and become the best version of myself, I need to look inward to see what I need to do instead of looking outwardly at what others are doing. Others can’t tell me how to use the gifts God gave me.

The callings and gifts from the Lord are precious, more valuable than gold.

What really helped me is understanding that a gift from God is not earned, bought, or passed down generationally. It’s not based on our worth or ability. God’s gifts are part of our purpose and calling. It’s God’s way of giving us what we NEED to do HIS WORK.

Everything changes when we ACCEPT it with love and a strong desire to use it for His good. When we know God doesn’t expect us to understand how to use it, He expects us to be willing to use it; we can let go of our expectations and excuses and let God help us.

Sweet friends, the world truly needs us to use our gifts. They matter. We matter. And it matters how we live our lives. What if someone we love is watching us and counting on us to lead them to the Lord?

If you enjoyed this, please share it with someone else.