You Have Unique Gifts and Talents

The specific combination of natural gifts and talents that you have are absolutely unique to you. No one on earth has had or ever will have the same mix of abilities, interests, and passions. It is this mix that makes you something special.

Too many people go through life without taking a close look at the variety of gifts and talents they possess and so live life at about 10%. If you want to live life at a much more meaningful rate, you must discover, develop, and use the special gifts and talents God has given you.

Discovering your gifts and talents is an adventure. It would be helpful, I suppose, if when you were born, you came with a spec sheet that made it clear exactly what you were designed to do. Because you’re not, it means you must go on your own personal gifts and talents discovery tour. You do that when you examine a variety of possibilities: you try this and experiment with that, you find out what is easy and what is difficult for you to do, and you learn what you feel passionately about and what you don’t.

This discovery part is very important and is why your parents made you take piano lessons, or dance classes, or pushed you to join a softball team. They wanted you to try a variety of things not knowing which one you would become good at or interested in. But the discovery part shouldn’t end upon graduation from high school or even college. It goes on for a lifetime because as you age the things you can and cannot do and the things which interest you change.

Once you discover some of your interesting gifts and talents you must make it a priority to develop them to the fullest. The most naturally talented musicians take music lessons and practice a lot, and the most gifted athletes need coaches. Even Tiger Woods, the all-time greatest golfer in history, has a coach. If he needs help developing his skills, do you suppose you too might need some help?

Discovering and developing your gifts and talents is a life-long process. There should be no end to your discovery of the variety of things life has to offer. For instance, after September 11, 2001 my father became interested in the teachings of Islam. In his 80’s he researched and wrote a rather exhaustive comparative analysis of Islam and Christianity.

Discovering your gifts and talents is an adventure, developing them is a priority, but using your gifts and talents is a joy. It’s fun and easy to do things you’re really good at. It’s not work when you’re working on things about which you have great passion and possess excellent skills. You were designed to live life with meaning and purpose and when you do, your usefulness is your mission and joy is your reward.