Mind Your Own Gift

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At birth God gives everyone gifts to enable them fulfill the purpose for their creation. No one is without one type of gift or the other. Ephesians 4:7 says, “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” However, His grace does us no good at all until we accept it and act on it.

Success in life heavily depends on full exploitation of your God-given gifts. “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men” (Proverbs 18:16). You were designed to be known by your gift. It is your gift that makes you perceived as an important person. It is the source of your significance.

Do you want your life to have a meaning? Discover your gift and work on it. If you want to find real fulfilment, purpose and contentment in your work, operate in your area of gift.  You cannot fulfill your life purpose without minding your own gift.

Your gift makes you unique and original and confers the seed of greatness on you. That is why you cannot compare yourself with any other person. Those who do so are foolish (2 Corinthians 2:10). You are a special creation. The only person you should strive to be is yourself. God wants you to be yourself and not any other person.

The best education is one that develops your gift and takes you to your destiny. This is the type of education you need to covet. General education by itself is not actually key to your success. This is why even some PhD holders end up frustrated and unfulfilled. If you are educated but have not developed your talent, you are likely to be struggling, depressed, tired and frustrated.

Some university dropouts have pursued their talents outside the formal education system and acquired wealth and become influential. There are brilliant and intelligent young people who find themselves in wrong places of work. The workplaces are good but the problem is that people there doing things they are not designed to do.

Anyone who discovers his gift and develops it will be needed and his services appreciated and rewarded. Proverbs 22:29 says, “Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings; he will not stand before obscure men.”

Young people planning their careers or professions should not base their choice on the one that brings greatest monetary reward or prestige. They should endeavour to discover what they were born to do. There is a purpose for their creation and a successful life is one that fulfills that purpose. Parents, guardians and counsellors have an important role in this aspect.

In discovering your gift, ask the Giver of the gift for help. He is glorified when you discover and optimally use it to serve and bless others. To discover your gift, try your hand at whatever you enjoy doing. Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might (Ecclesiastes 9:10).

Remember that your gifts are not withdrawn from you, even if you don’t value or use them. Many of us receive presents and just lock them up somewhere in the house or office. You may keep them unused until they become obsolete and useless. The giver of the present will not question you on its usage. He has no more business with it once given out.

God’s gifts are never recalled. “For God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable” (Romans 11:29, Bible Hub). You can allow your gift to be latent or dormant in you or even misuse it but God will not withdraw it. However, you must account for it at the right time.

There are consequences of not discovering, developing and using your gift. Anything not used atrophies. If you park your car for a long time without driving it, some parts will definitely malfunction. In the same way, your life purpose may not be fulfilled and you will not be useful to other people if you don’t discover and use your gift. And since you may not be doing what God has called you to do, you will not honour and please Him. You may not find joy in whatever you are doing. Instead, you experience frustration, tiredness and sickness.

Such a person cannot excel in any particular area but remain a mediocre. Above all, there will be God’s judgement for hiding his talent (Matthew 25:26-30).