It's Your Gift...Use It - Daughters of the Creator

For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you.

2 Timothy 1:6

I enjoy playing tennis whether I win or lose; however, I admit that I like winning more. Even though I play competitively, I would rather win with good sportsmanship and integrity or not win at all. A famous coach once said, “I would rather play well and lose, than play poorly and win.”

Playing tennis is a gift from God that I hope to enjoy for many years. Yet tennis, like any other sport, isn’t as important as the other gifts that God has given to me. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are given gifts from God with the expectation that we thrive in what He has given us.

Some of us are gifted in ways that set us apart from other people. There can be the tendency for us to pull back from our gifts because we may feel bad for being good at what we do. However, God has gifted each of us in our own unique way. None of us are expected to bury our gifts and talents. Our gifts from God are meant to be used and not abused by demeaning thoughts or fears. Rather, we are expected to shine the light of Christ as we glorify God with the fruit of our giftedness.

When God has gifted us–whether it’s music, dance, teaching, serving, preaching, etc.–we are expected to give our best back to Him. We can still walk in humility and demonstrate our giftedness. As we are blessed and encouraged by others, we always should give the glory to God, Who is the Giver of our gifts. Our testimony of God’s grace in our gift shines even more when we unashamedly live in obedience to His word.