Your Gifts Will Make Room for You

Like the caterpillar cocooned in its chrysalis, do you sometimes feel that you were born for ‘something more than this’? I know I have. I know I do. Every…single…day…of…my…..life. All day. Everyday. And that's fine. It means I'm still growing.  The trouble is many people never get beyond that feeling. Not for lack of a desire to change, but rather because of a lack of know-how. Experiencing that metamorphosis, though, is more up to our intentional efforts than the forces of nature at work on us. Here’s what I have found to be the most powerful formula in getting us to that place:  “If you work on your gifts they will make room for you.”

 In other words, it is in our giftedness that we are most effective…..not in our level of intellect….not in the extent of our exposure, not even inthe strength of our connectedness. Very simply, it is in the development and maximization of our gifts that we find our place on this earth. It is a universal law, a biblical declaration. In fact, the Bible declares “A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.” It doesn’t get clearer than that.  Our passions fuel our purpose but our giftedness determines how far we go, how effectively we deliver on our purpose. Obviously, the more gifted we are, the higher uphill we can climb in pursuit of our purpose.  

Be not mistaken about it, I know all men are not gifted equally. In fact some men (and women) are not even sure what their gifts are. That’s not hard to understand. Some people are more in touch with themselves, more mindful than others. Some have asked the question of themselves for years and still come up blank. There’s only one way I know how to answer the question (and maybe you know many more). But so far I’ve worked with ‘what am I good at?’ Simple. And we are not now talking relative to your neighbour or sibling or friend. It’s simply about self. Of all the things I do, what ones do I do best? That’s the first step. You may not come up with many, but it’s a place to start.

The thing about gifts and talents though is that they have to be developed. Nurtured. Matured. Maximized. Only as they grow do we grow. Our gifts will never take us places if we don’t actively seek ways to use them. Consistently. Consistency makes the difference. Consistency compounds our growth and our effectiveness. Let’s today make the intentional decision to find an outlet for our gifts, one that gives us the opportunity to consistently use them and then let’s sit back and watch as they ‘make room for us.’