Psalm 139 (and many other passages) clearly state that God deliberately and carefully created me exactly the way I am. He made me to serve and glorify Him in a way that no one else can. He gave me a unique set of talents, physical characteristics, emotional makeup, temperament, and life experiences for a specific reason. Until the day I fully accept the package God rolled together on the day He created me, I will never become the woman He intended me to be. ~ Donna Partow, “Becoming A Vessel God Can Use”
What do you do well.
What do you LOVE to do. ( What tasks or projects can you spend hours upon hours working on that someone else might find tedious or boring. )
What do others say you do well.
This is one of the most important indicators of your talent because we often take our God-graced abilities for granted. We think EVERYONE is good at…math, English, drawing…whatever comes so naturally to us. But it isn’t true. We aren’t all gifted in the same things.
We usually recognize talents in others, but not in ourselves. We brush it off and continue to look for our purpose in all the wrong places, doing all the wrong things, when the clues to our purpose are self-evident by what we gravitate towards when we have free time—-something we actually “get lost in time” doing. Hobbies, most likely.
And just so you know: You cannot be anything you want to be.
I repeat—CANNOT.
But you CAN be all that God created you to be!
{ I know this isn’t culture-pc }
I’ve seen this sentiment expressed in various ways by a number of people and I believe it is so true, but it goes against what is being taught today—that we can be anything we want to be.
Obviously this isn’t true.
If you haven’t been equipped with the talent to sing, build, work numbers, paint, become an athlete—you just can’t do it. Oh, well, you can do it. Just not well!
And it is probably not time well spent to encourage people to strengthen their weaknesses. I can take loads of classes on drawing and painting and I’m sure I will improve. { Yes, Sarah. (my artist sister-in-law). You’ve convinced me that I will, and can, have fun doing it, too. But I also know, at this age, that I know that I know I am not an artist! }
I will never excel in this field. If I were to pursue it, my real talent would languish.
So wouldn’t it be better for me to hone the talent I AM gifted in? To get better and better so that I can be the best I can be and share that with others?
Of course.
We don’t want to listen to a mediocre (or really BAD) soloist.
We don’t want to hire a CPA who is lousy with numbers.
We don’t want an architect who can’t design practical and beautiful homes.
We don’t want an interior decorator who can’t coordinate colors and furniture in a beautiful and artistic way.
When we are hungry, we aren’t looking for a pastor. We want a talented cook!
And we certainly do not want a surgeon who isn’t highly skilled with a scalpel!
Isn’t this basic, common sense?
Apparently, not to some!
The Bible says this:
“In His grace, God has given each of us the ability to do certain things well.” (Romans 12:6 NLT)
In this particular context, it is talking about spiritual gifts, but it is true of natural gifts as well.
When King Solomon (written about in the Bible) set about the task to build a temple, he wanted the best of the best in their natural abilities:
Don’t scan over these scriptures. This is really, really good stuff and rarely preached and taught! { in my experience… }
“So send me a master craftsman who can work with gold, silver, bronze, and iron, as well as with purple, scarlet, and blue cloth. He must be a skilled engraver who can work with the craftsmen of Judah and Jerusalem who were selected by my father, David.” 2 Chronicles 2:7
And when God needed people to make the Ark of the Covenant, the Tabernacle, everything IN the Tabernacle, and the robes of the priest and his sons, He wanted master craftsmen for all of it—and He is the One who gave them their abilities.
Then the LORD said to Moses, “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!
And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make:
the Tabernacle;
the Ark of the Covenant;
the Ark’s cover—the place of atonement;
all the furnishings of the Tabernacle;
the table and its utensils;
the pure gold lampstand with all its accessories;
the incense altar;
the altar of burnt offering with all its utensils;
the washbasin with its stand;
the beautifully stitched garments—the sacred garments for Aaron the priest, and the garments for his sons to wear as they minister as priests;
the anointing oil;
the fragrant incense for the Holy Place.
The craftsmen must make everything as I have commanded you.” Exodus 31:1-12
Look again. God SPECIFICALLY chose Bezalel who was gifted and skilled in various crafts.
Gifted and skilled.
Two important words.
The one—gifted—implies a grace.
The other—skilled—implies a result from diligence applied to developing the graced gift.
For this job, God did not need a prophet or pastor or music minister. ( spiritual “jobs” )
He needed a skilled craftsman.
Someone gifted for manual labor.
Have you ever heard of Bezalel? I hadn’t. Not until I did some study for this entry. And I doubt many people have. Yet, this important Bible character had an experience with God that should inspire and encourage each one of us.
Bezalel was chosen as the chief architect in building the Tabernacle. He was to design and execute the work, and also to assign work to those that God had given him.
God had anointed Bezalel to work with his hands and to oversee the project—a very important project.
Many people are slow to answer the call for service because they fear that their talent isn’t “spiritual” when, really, ALL gifts given by God are spiritual—because we are spiritual beings created in God’s image!
All of our talents and acts of service can be holy acts. { this is sooooo important to know!! }
The work God called Bezalel to do was of such importance that God gave him a special anointing for the task.
Moses had the gift for administration and prophecy, Aaron had the gift for the priesthood, Joshua had the gift for war and conquest, David was a warrior and leader.
But Bezalel had the talent for design, building, and craftsmanship.
This really is encouraging news for us. Because we know that we, too, have been given a talent, or talents, and that whatever they are, they are needed by God to fulfill certain jobs in the Body of Christ. Jobs that please Him and further His kingdom and plan.
Where your talent lies is important and needed or God wouldn’t have designed you the way He did.
You can do something no one else can do in a fashion no one else can do it. Exploring and extracting your uniqueness excites you, honors God, and expands His kingdom. So ‘make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that.’ (Galatians 6:4) ~ Max Lucado, “Cure For The Common Life”
If that doesn’t get you motivated and thrilled, I’m not sure what will!
So ask yourself those questions that I posed at the beginning.
And, also, I’ve read several experts on this subject of determining your purpose/calling/ talents (including Max Lucado) to reflect back to the days of your youth and ask yourself the question:
- What is it that you have always loved to do and have done well?
It may seem like a very simplistic question, but within the answer could lie one of the biggest of all clues to what you should be doing with your life.
Spend some time writing down those things you LOVE—that makes you feel excitement and purpose. And write down the things you think you do well or have been told you do well. And reflect back to what you loved to do as a child. Answer those questions and another stroke of the brush of “the masterpiece of you” will begin to emerge and will be part of the grand design of who He created you to be and what He destined for you to do.
At each man’s birth there comes into being an eternal vocation for him, expressly for him. To be true to himself in relation to this eternal vocation is the highest thing a man can practice. ~ Soren Kierkegaard
BOOK RECOMMENDATION:
“Cure For The Common Life: Living in Your Sweet Spot” ~ Max Lucado
LINK: Life Experiences