Everyone has a talent. If you’re like me though, your first reaction is, “I don’t think I really have one.” This reaction to me saying that you do have one, is due to the fact that we often look down at ourselves. Now if you don’t, awesome, but if you’re more like me, it’s quite easy to not see the gifts that you hold already. This thought came into my head recently as I was trying to evaluate where I am and if I am being effective with what I have been given. Trust me, I have had plenty of time, especially being a student on summer break with much more time that can go wasted. Recently, I have been feeling like I have not been using my time and talents wisely, basically, I get lazy. The biggest trap to get caught in, whether this is due to boredom and just plain not wanting to face the responsibilities that life has, I’m not sure. That’s the thing about laziness, we can give any excuse in the book to not do something. What I want to do today is share some things I am learning and doing to slay the dragon of laziness (see I made it sound cool so now you want to keep reading).

I’m writing this for you, my super cool reader, and myself (pretty heavy, right?). I think one of the biggest barriers that holds people back is this idea of laziness and being complacent. We get so comfortable with where we are that we forget we were made for such a bigger purpose. I want to see a generation of people stand up and say that we can use our gifts to help change the world, and I sure want to be a part of that. I want you to be able to see that you have a talent and I want to help you move from having one, to using it in order to be effective in every part of your life.

God gave you a specific skillset.  

The biggest lie that we hear from Satan is that you are not good enough. This is such a lie because over and over in scripture we hear God speak about how he formed us in his image, to be unique and made for a purpose. Of course the enemy doesn’t want us to believe that, because when we believe the lie, we box ourselves in from what we can really do for this world. Know that God has given you a skillset that is your key to being effective. This can be anything. For me, I am very good at communicating to others and helping them find their potential, as well as, a passion for writing that I hope will one day influence a great many people. Now I know it may sound like I’m being prideful, but when God has given you a talent, he wants you to realize it and take hold of it. So your talents may be similar to my own, or completely different. That’s the beauty of it, you are an individual and you have a talent. Take a moment and think about what you have been gifted at. Maybe you sing like an angel, maybe you love helping the homeless, or maybe you feel a passion for showing love to those who don’t have a lot of love in their life. All of these are examples of talents, you have been given a talent!

Use your talent as much as possible.

This is the first step to killing your lazy spirit, now that you have discovered some of your talents. Start taking steps towards using your talent, start serving in your church, practice your skill in any way that you can. It would be really easy for me to know what I think God has gifted me with and then choose not to do anything with it. That would be such a tragedy for your life. Believe me I know it’s easy to make any excuse for why not to do something, but start pushing yourself out of what you feel comfortable with and step into the unknown. The worst thing that may happen is you find out that maybe this isn’t where I’m the best gifted at, and try again. That’s the great part, the world won’t end if you don’t get it right the first few times! You have nothing to be afraid of, God tells us this. Romans 8:15 says, “The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.” Not only has God not given us a spirit of fear, but he calls us his son and daughter, he loves you so much. Live in freedom and choose to take the steps to pursuing Gods purpose for your life.

Be generous and brave.

After you find your talent and begin walking into your purpose, we face the foes that will try to stop us. These enemies are known as pride and complacency. We can get prideful as we master our talents and this can cause our ministry and life to rot away. It makes us look down at the people we should be helping and speaking life to and says that you’re better than them. The second enemy is complacency, this guy tells us that what you’re doing is good and there isn’t a reason to strive for more. This doesn’t ruin your ministry, but it prevents you from listening to new ideas and prevents you from growing things into better skills. So what can we do to fight off these nasty guys? Well, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8 says, “The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. And God is able to make all grace abound to you, so that having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.” This verse is not only talking about our money, but I believe it also refers to what we have to offer with our skills. We kill pride by giving our abilities with a cheerful heart, being respectful of those we serve and those we serve under. We kill complacency by choosing to give more as we are given more, and reaping to rewards from what we learn. Be generous in your talents and be brave to take the next steps that will help you grow continuously, this will make you effective no matter where you are.

You are a child of God, and with that comes great things. You have been given gifts and talents that will help you in all areas of your life. No matter what you may be going through, you have the potential to do something that will change the world. Even when it seems like we are alone or that no one cares, your intentions are speaking to people like no other. You may be told that you aren’t good enough or that you are inexperienced, these are lies from someone who doesn’t want you to step into the purpose that God made you for. It’s okay to try new things, to make mistakes, and to ask questions. We were not made to be complacent and fearful of stepping out. We were meant to be brave and live with complete trust in Christ. We are not made to be prideful and put ourselves on a pedestal, we were created to be generous and care for everyone around us. So at the end of this, you have a choice, I have a choice. We can choose to use our talents and be as effective as possible, or we can live comfortably and accomplish nothing.

What do you choose?

-Joshua Thomas