If somebody gave you a gift, would you hide it?
If somebody gave you a gift, would you talk about how silly it is?
d
If somebody gave you a gift, would you pretend you created it yourself?
d
If somebody gave you a gift, would you throw it away?
d
I remember opening my presents on Christmas Eve as a kid. I remember tearing open my gifts and delighting in whatever it was that my parents or my Aunt Peggy had given me. I cherished my gifts. I thanked the giver. I shared them with my cousins. I played with them. I took care of them. I didn’t put them in a box and bury them in my closet. I didn’t tell my cousins how inadequate the gift was. I didn’t brag about the craftsmanship as if I’d made the gift myself. And I most certainly never threw any away.
d
I think this is obvious to all of us.
B
God’s given me a passion and a gift for telling stories. He gave this to me. He created me, formed me in my mother’s womb, with this gift in mind. And yet sometimes I hide my writing from others. And sometimes I tell myself I’m lousy, or I’m no good, or my dreams of being a writer are just silly. Sometimes I get prideful, as if the stories I write are my own. As if I could do all this without God’s hand guiding my steps. And sometimes I want to throw in the towel.
l
God gives all of us gifts. Whether it’s the gift of writing, singing, teaching, dancing, building, acting, healing, praying, cooking…. Whatever it is, they are gifts from God. He gave them to us so that we might delight in them, share them, take care of them, and use them to offer hope and encouragement in a world stumbling in the dark.
d
There’s no shame, and there’s no pride, in saying, “I’m a good writer.” Not if the glory goes to the One who made me this way.
d
Question to Ponder: What gift has God given you?
Thanks ladies! I appreciate your celebrating with me about my short story!
Carol – you can step on your soap box anytime you want. 🙂 You bring up some very valid points!
Jen – you're not alone! I think discerning what our gifts are is difficult. It took me a long time to figure out what mine were, and although I'm confident writing is one, I'm not sure of any others.
Blessings and love to everybody!!
Katie
Hi Katie-
What a great post. I found you via Jody Hedlund.
Good question. God blessed me with many gifts one of which is the ability to listen and understand people's personal struggles (I'm a therapist and use this gift @ day!) the other I hope is to write and speak and sing. I'm working on using those more often and am writing a memoir. My first foray into the world of publishing.
Congrats on your just about published piece!
Stephanie
Thank you for this wonderful, timely post … and, congrats, on your article!
I really loved your post! I agree that we should use the gifts that the Lord gives us well. While I can clearly recognize all the ways that the Lord has blessed my life {with family & friends & shelter etc.} I definitely have an issue of discerning what my gifts are that I am to use for his glory.
Sometimes a good way to sort that out is to go to people who's counsel you trust & ask them what they think you're gifted in. That's something I've been meaning to do for awhile but keep brushing off.
Thanks for the post; it has spurred me on!
Jen
Can't wait to read your story! Woohoo! 🙂
Congratulations on the short story! I'll be sure to watch for it.
When it comes to the analogy of gifts I know we need to be aware of the gifts God has given us, be thankful for them and make the best possible use of them. But I also think he understands our human emotions and how they affect us. Even when I'm trying hard I am not always able to write beautiful prose and I'm not trying to belittle a God-given ability or sound humble when I say it's crap. I'm being realistic. Sometimes my best just isn't very good. I don't think we insult God by being honest about our failures as long as we keep trying to do better.
::climbing sheepishly off my soapbox now:: 🙂
Carol Garvin
Congrats on the short! That is so awesome!
I know God has gifted me with a ton of creativity, but I don't know if writing is really a gifting yet. It is a love, but I don't know about the gifting. 🙂 Time will tell.
Big congrats on your second publication at CFOM. That's incredible!
That's so hard to remember not to hide from or put our gifts down. Maybe God can help me when I shy away from standing tall in this industry. I think he does already in some ways.
Can't wait to read your short!
Gifts? Ah, yes, how we tend to hide them. Ever wonder if God weeps when we do that? I never did before, but lately it's crossed my mind. I believe God gives each of us many, many gifts, one of mine is a desire to write Christian HEA's, and I'm proud of it, not boastful, but, yes, I am proud to say that I'm using that gift no matter what comes of it.
Thanks for the comments everybody! I'm glad my post offered some encouragement! And thanks for celebrating with me about my short story. Debbie Macomber said to celebrate every success, whether big or small, so I'm happy to celebrate this one with you all!
That is so true about hiding or belittling our gifts. Thank you for this! 🙂 It hit close to home and is a great perspective!
Hey, Katie! I'm home and back in the blogging/email/writing world once more. Your post is so spot on. Writing is a gift, and we should use it, enjoy it, and thank the Giver often for it. 🙂
Can't wait to read your short story!
Great follow up to what Jeannette wrote! I love it! God's given me the gift of humor (at least I think I'm funny…lol) and the gift of encouragement. That is AWESOME about your short story…I'll be sure to read it! 🙂
Well, thanks for making me smile today, and congrats on another story coming out!!
This is a blessing to me! Someone told me once than an unused gift is a sin. That really hot home with me! Congrats on the short story!!
Such a great wake-up-call! Thanks for the new way to look at our gifts.
can't wait for the short story to come out! 🙂
i'm happy to read this post…makes me feel better for taking up time on the computer that could be spent doing something else. just like any talent or gift from god, we should work to improve it. that takes time and effort!
jeannie
Where Romance Meets Therapy
This is a very wise post. Great insights to what gifts are and where they come from.
Congrats on the short story.
So happy for your short story. You're not hiding the gift God gave you. Awesome girl! :O)
Congrats!!!!! And I totally agree! Our gifts are from the Lord to use as he pleases. I hope they are eternal ones, I could write forever, literally!
Yay about the short story! I love this post. You're so right, God gives us each wonderful and special gifts. We should cherish them and be proud of them. Thanks so much for the reminder.
Congrats on another short story. I am one of those people who feels incredibly guilty if I have to return a gift. Even if it's just because it's the wrong size.
I should keep that in mind when thinking about giving up on writing and/or singing. (Which I do not intend to do either…)
Great Post!
I loved Jeanette's post too! It's so important to remember that if God gave us the gift, then it truly is GOOD! And we shouldn't be ashamed of it or put ourselves down!
Hi Katie – I stumbled on your blog and love this post! My husband and I actually just had a serious discussion over the weekend about my writing. He supports me, but his practical side sometimes wonders whether the time commitment is worth it. I've struggled with that same question, but at the end of the conversation, I realized God didn't put this desire in my heart for no good reason. And if I don't pursue it, I'll be hiding something God weaved within me.
Congrats on the short story!
Hi Katie!
First, congratulations on your shory story!
Yes, we have been given a wonderful gift from the greatest Author of all! I make the mistake of hiding my gift sometimes, fearing that people will think it's silly, or not as monumental as it is to me.
All that matters is that I am operating in the calling that God has given me.
Blessings to you…
Thanks for the reminder to use the gifts God has given. It's good to remember that He didn't accidentally send them to the wrong person. These are for ME – to enjoy, to develop, to use, and to multiply.
Congrats on the short story. I'll be looking for it.
Way to go on your SECOND story in that awesome magazine.
Gift of encouragement and writing.
~ Wendy
Congrats on the publication!!Great blog!!
Very cool, Katie! Look forward to reading your short story:-)
I don't "hide" my gift like I used to. Well, before I just wasn't using it as much… but yeah, It's hard because there ARE times I think, "I'm really not good at this!" But thankfully we have a really forgiving and loving God who blesses me with encouragement to keep going. And sometimes, it's more like, "I'm not worthy of the gift, why'd you give it to me when I fail so often rather than someone else who could take it and run with it?"
Congrats on the short story. that's unreal 🙂 And I love the idea of being proud of the gifts we are given. I also love thinking about the fact that they are just that, gifts- not something we created ourselves:)
woohoo! Go you on the short stories! I'm really impressed. 🙂
Wonderful post Katie. You're so right. I'm guilty of hiding my writing. I don't like people to know and I don't like them to read my stuff. I guess I need to work on that… but I also appreciate the reminder that God is the one who gave us these abilities. 🙂