God knows everything about us as individuals. He knows our frame. He knows what we’re capable of. He knows our gifts, talents, weaknesses, and strengths. And despite whatever we might think of ourselves or our lacks, He picked us for His team!1 He is certain that, with His power, we have what it takes to fulfill the role that He wants us to play.
When we look at ourselves through God’s perspective, it should cause us to have godly respect for ourselves. As God’s children, we’re valuable. As Christians, we are His representatives, the bearers of His truth and message. That makes us pretty important! Think about that. You’re made in God’s image. You’re saved. God loves you so much that He let His Son die for you, so you must be awfully important. You are completely and perfectly loved by God. You have the Holy Spirit dwelling within you. That’s an awesome thing to have—the power of the One who created us, redeemed us, and now asks us to glorify Him with our lives.
God made each of us unique. There is no one else in the whole world that is just like you, with exactly the same experiences, knowledge, interests, or abilities as you. God intended for you to discover the natural talents and abilities that He gifted you with, to hone them, and to use them for your personal good and happiness, as well as to contribute to the good and happiness of others.
Each of us, as Christians, is called by God to bear lasting fruit. That means that each of us has something good and beneficial to bring to the table. Our natural gifts and talents, the way God made us, can be used by Him to bear fruit within our own life journey and the lives of the people we touch, and second, to bear fruit in bringing others to Him.
We can each contribute to the change needed in our world through living our lives as a reflection of Jesus, through letting the Holy Spirit shine through us, and through sharing the gospel with others. We each have the power to positively affect people’s lives, but in order to do so, we need to use our gifts and talents, even our personalities, together with our time and effort, for God’s glory.
When you give yourself to God, He makes you a new creation. But He wants you to still be you—just what He envisioned when He created you. He doesn’t discard or change the raw talent that He put within you when He created you. As C. S. Lewis said, “The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become—because He made us.”
God made all types of people, and there isn’t one “type” of person that is most effective in making a difference in the world in the way God calls them. Buckminster Fuller once said: “Never forget that you are one of a kind. Never forget that if there weren’t any need for you in all your uniqueness to be on this earth, you wouldn’t be here in the first place. And never forget, no matter how overwhelming life’s challenges and problems seem to be, that one person can make a difference in the world. In fact, it is always because of one person that all the changes that matter in the world come about. So be that one person.”
God has a part for every one of us to play in building His kingdom on earth. If you feel that there are few opportunities in your life today for service, perhaps you are in a time of preparation in God’s workshop, so to speak, where He is fashioning you with the tool of patience, as you exhibit faithfulness in the seemingly small, mundane things of life. If you feel that your life has little or no outlet for worthy service, be encouraged by this thought from A. B. Simpson: “God is preparing His heroes. And when the opportunity comes, He can fit them into their places in a moment. And the world will wonder where they came from.”
God is calling you to be part of His grand plan to change the world one heart at a time. And that’s something that each one of us can be part of.
- See John 15:16. ↑