What Will We Do With Them?

Happy Friday, Friends!

I hope and trust this post finds you all having a great day as a glorious new day begins to dawn in my Sweet Home Alabama! I am so excited to live this day! There is hope, opportunity, and promise in this beautiful blank canvas! Truly blessed beyond measure! :)

Last week we talked about the fact that each one of us has been assigned, by God, a sphere of influence. It is a space where you and I, individually, can love, care for, and serve others within our sphere better than anyone else. It is not that we are better than anyone else, it is about the fact that it is ours - created specifically for us and we are perfectly created for it...truly powerful!

Earlier this week I was reading the Bible Study, Lead or Be Lunch: The Power of Earning Influence by David Villa. I was on day 8 of this 10 day plan when I read this:

"It is my belief that all of us possess God given talents and abilities that only we can use. I want to remind you again to look at what's in your hands. God has given gifts to each of us from his great variety of spiritual gifts so that God's generosity can flow through you (1 Peter 4:10)."

And in that moment, all the dots were connected for me! Not only has God given each of us a specific sphere of influence, He has also given us talents and abilities that only we can use. Pretty awesome God we serve...pretty incredible life we are privileged to live! :)

So let's unpack this a little bit by looking at 1 Peter 4: 10 - 11:

"God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other, passing on to others God's many kinds of blessings. Are you called to preach? Then preach as though God himself were speaking through you. Are you called to help others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies so that God will be glorified through Jesus Christ - to Him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen."

"God has given each of you some special abilities..."

Please note, it does not say "some of you." No, it says "each of you." Well, Sweet Friends, that includes you and I. There are special abilities you and I, and everyone else, have been given. Your gifts are not mine and mine are not yours. We are each incredibly valuable, irreplaceably so, and our paths are our paths alone to walk. We have been given the sphere of influence and the abilities to aid us...what will we do with them?

"Be sure to use them to help each other..."

Please don't miss this critically important part - it is not about us, individually, but rather what can be done through us to serve others. We are not given our abilities to hide away or to serve ourselves but rather we are given them to love, care for, and serve others...what will we do with them?

And then a couple of examples are given however this is not an exhaustive list. The list of "special abilities" is as limitless as the number of precious souls walking the face of the earth...and you are one of them! :) Are you called to sing? Are you called to write? Are you called to care for a specific population? Are you called to work with wood, glass, metal, etc? You get the point! Whatever special abilities we are given I truly believe we are each called to do two things:

1. With God's help, develop them to the fullness of their potential. 

2. Use them to love, care for, and serve others.

Our sphere's of influence are specific to us, as are our special abilities. There is no one else exactly like you or I...each of us is specifically equipped to live this blessed life we are called to live! We simply have to choose to walk in all that we were created to become! 

A couple of quotes I want to share with you on this topic:

"When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, 'I used everything you gave me.'" - Erma Bombeck

This is truly the fervent prayer of my heart! Whatever abilities I have, I pray that I will develop them to the fullness of what I am capable of becoming and that I will completely exhaust myself loving, caring for, and serving others! I truly believe that this would be a life well lived!

"Our talents are the gift that God gives to us...What we make of our talents is our gift back to God." - Leo Buscaglia

It seems to me that I would be living so far below what I am capable of living if I did not work on the abilities God has given me...I don't want to live that kind of life! I don't know why God chose to convict my heart with "What Will Your Influence Be...", the desire and ability to encourage, empower, and equip others to become all that they are capable of becoming, to write a blog and post positive messages, or to cave wood, but He did. These purposes drive and inspire me every single day! What are your abilities? Most importantly, what will you do with them?

I want to close by sharing a piece titled, "The Easy and The Hard." It was written by Coach Don Meyer.

"Sarcasm is easy. Sincerity is hard.

Reaction is easy. Action is hard.

Following is easy. Leading is hard.

Losing is easy. Winning is hard.

Talking is easy. Listening is hard.

Flab is easy. Muscle is hard.

Lying is easy. Truth is hard.

Sleeping is easy. Waking is hard.

Falling is easy. Getting up is hard.

Criticism is easy. Taking criticism is hard.

Letting go is easy. Hanging on is hard.

Pride is easy. Humility is hard.

Thoughtless is easy. Thoughtful is hard.

Dumb is easy. Smart is hard.

Cowardice is easy. Courage is hard."

My hope and prayer for each one of us is that we will CHOOSE the hard! :)

Please don't hesitate to contact me if there is ever anything I can do for you or your family. I will always help you any way I can. You can reach me at kevin@whatwillyourinfluencebe.com.

Have a great day, a wonderful weekend, please cherish your precious families, and please stay well! :)

Kev