When I was in second grade, I entered a national art contest. While most kids submitted drawings and beautiful paintings, I entered something a little different—a neon pink, glow-in-the-dark paper mache cat with neon green, yellow, and orange fur. Even at a young age, I wanted to create something unique, something that stood out. But as I compared my work to the others, I began to feel insecure, thinking my cat was ugly and out of place. To my surprise, when the awards were announced, I won “Most Creative.” It was a reminder that sometimes our gifts don’t look like everyone else’s—and that’s okay.
I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum, adding my personal flair to everything I do. Creativity flows out of me naturally; I don’t have to try to make things unique. In fact, my challenge is often the opposite—I sometimes have to dial it back and simply complete tasks without putting my personal stamp on everything. Recently, I found myself in this tension at work. I was assigned a project, and I poured my creativity into it, crafting a presentation that stood out visually, aiming to engage the audience on multiple levels. But despite my best efforts, my new approach was shot down. I felt defeated, dejected, and disappointed. I wasn’t hurt that my idea wasn’t used—I know some ideas will get tossed aside. What bothered me was the desire for change expressed by others, only for that change to be rejected when presented with a solution.
So, I took my frustrations to the Lord. I asked Him why my work had been dismissed and what He wanted me to learn from this. In that moment, He lovingly affirmed me, “You showed up with all of your gifts.” In a world that sometimes clings to the old or boxes in the gifts of the Spirit, God—the ultimate Creator—was saying to me, “Keep showing up with all of your gifts.”
That’s what it looks like to worship the Lord with our talents. We bring our gifts forward, whether they’re welcomed or not. We don’t hide them or diminish them; we let them shine for His glory, pointing others to Him. It’s easy to think that something as simple as a task or a presentation isn’t significant enough to show God to others. But God sees our hearts, and He knows when we’re honoring Him by showing up fully.
What gifts have you buried? Where do you need to dig out those gifts and let them shine again? My encouragement to you is this: Show up with all of your gifts. Don’t hold back, even if they’re not embraced or understood by everyone. You never know how your unique expression might reflect God’s beauty and creativity to someone else.
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