Gratitude Day 577

Hebrews 2:4 – God himself showed that his message was true by working all kinds of powerful miracles and wonders. He also gave his Holy Spirit to anyone he chose to.

Over the years, I have become more comfortable with what I’m gifted with and what I’m not. There are areas where I am can perform relatively well.

And then, there are those areas where the box “needs improvement” should be always checked.

Early in my professional career, I had annual review with my supervisor. Included would be three to five areas where I should make improvements during the next year. These same areas were often repeated year after year. I might make some improvements in these areas … or I may not.

I felt this was discouraging. I was being asked to improve where it was clear that I wasn’t great. I knew that I should try to do better. But at the end of the day, I wasn’t sure that I would ever become really good in those areas.

Only later, did I learn to articulate and understand this little internal struggle. You see, God gifts us in very certain ways. My gifts aren’t the same as yours and vice versa. Hubby Rick and I have vastly different talents … for a reason. Try as we might, these deficit areas may not ever become our strong areas. They probably won’t because this is not how we are gifted. Rather than becoming totally discouraged, maybe it’s more realistic to reach an understanding that this is how we are created. By God. Our most important role is to stay in our lane. Try to spend the majority of our time focusing on the areas where we are gifted rather than getting frustrated for not performing at a higher level where we struggle.

Don’t get me wrong. This does not give us permission to always avoid doing something in our lower gifted areas. Bills still need to get paid so the electricity doesn’t get cut off. Lunches for kids need to be organized. Some would rather have a root canal than do public speaking. But when an opportunity arises where we can inspire others, it should be considered.

Yet are there roles or jobs or responsibilities that you currently have that are not in your naturally gifted area? Are these tasks pretty much a Debbie-Downer for you? Do you find yourself putting off these areas of responsibility as long as possible because you aren’t crazy about the work?

Yep, this is normal. We all have some area where we struggle. Why? Because God did not completely bless you with this gift. God has blessed someone else in this area. Often, it’s OK for you to step away from this opportunity and let someone else take the lead.

It’s OK to let go. Especially when the responsibility is outside of your normal giftedness. Allow the joy and opportunity for someone else who really looks forward to these types of tasks.

When we do this, it frees us to spend more time and energy in our gifted areas. We can find more joy and happiness by doing the things we really love to do. When we allow ourselves to let go of some of those downer jobs, we have more time and energy to put into the roles and responsibilities that God has called us specifically to perform. We find our sweet spot; the place where something no longer feels like work.

As we look at ways to draw ourselves closer to God this Lent, think of one area where it’s difficult to get yourself motivated. Is it possible to stop doing it? Allow someone else to take over the responsibility? Or maybe, it’s OK for this to just stop.

Letting go of something we may not care for can be tricky. We often see this as failure on our part. When we shift our thinking and see this as staying in the lane for the benefit of God’s kingdom, maybe we see this less as a failure and more as the opportunity. An opportunity to serve God’s kingdom in a special and unique way, utilizing the gifts God has blessed us with.

Yes, there are some things that you really can’t stop doing. Stay with these. Try and explore how they can be view as less of a drag and more as an opportunity. When we are able to let something go that drags us down, maybe we’ll find ourselves walking a bit lighter. Thinking about how we can really use our gifts for God’s kingdom. Bless others in this process.

You are amazing because God has gifted you with wonderful and unique talents specifically designed you. It is our responsibility to leverage and use those talents for God’s kingdom as often as we can. When this happens, I’ve watched the Holy Spirit bless and anoint this response. Let’s see if this happens to you!

For seeing and the opportunity to us the special gift God has blessed me with, I am grateful.

Blessings –

Dianne

Holy God – Thank you for the incredibly special gifts that you have granted me. Forgive me for the times when I have not celebrated them as I should. Place it upon my heart one thing that I should let go because it’s not in my gifted area. May I experience great job as I serve You in my areas of giftedness. Amen.

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