Everyone Has a Talent—What’s Yours?

 

Here are some tips for discovering your talents and using them as God intended.

Why is it that some people seem to have everything so easy? They seem to have the natural ability to shine in absolutely everything they tackle, while other people don’t seem to be able to master anything!

Many times I have wondered: Why are people so unequally blessed with talents?

And yet …

Everyone has a talent

The Bible repeatedly tells us that everybody has a talent. Sometimes it’s not obvious, yet it is there. Did you know that all over the New Testament there are verses reminding us that the Lord has given each one of us some special abilities and exhorting us to use them for the good of others? Consider a couple of these:

“Christ has given each of us special abilities—whatever he wants us to have out of his rich storehouse of gifts” (Ephesians 4:7, Living Bible).

“God has given each of you some special abilities; be sure to use them to help each other” (1 Peter 4:10, TLB).

Tapping dormant talents

I’ve been inspired by the example of my wife. At the tender age of 68, she discovered an ability to turn out the most incredible paintings! She literally had no idea that this talent was there. It had simply lain dormant for most of her life, until one day she began to sketch. Then a couple of paintings materialized, and I nearly fell on my back. They were good!

What’s more, her first paintings were done in watercolor—not an easy medium to master. Before I realized she was serious, she had joined the local branch of the Botanical Art Society. Pretty soon I was sending samples of her work to all our friends, most of whom were equally incredulous!

“Lucky her,” I hear you say. “I have no talent that sets me apart from others. I can’t do anything that others can’t do better.”

Are you sure?

Analyze your aptitudes

When was the last time you sat down with a pencil and paper and tried to analyze what you have done in your life that you were good at? List everything you have attempted with any success at all. Many things you note down will not excite you, but slowly things will emerge that you had long forgotten—and some of the things you think of might just surprise you!

I tried it, with very little success at first. I started thinking about all sorts of people I’ve known, with all sorts of occupations and abilities. Plumbers, electricians, doctors, vets, etc. Could I do what they do? No! I’m a complete duffer with my hands—a danger on any job!

But then, gradually, based on things I have tackled, I began to realize that I am able to run large projects—to plan them, draw up cost estimates, divide up the work, etc. So although I can’t do what the people on my project do, I can make sure they know what has to be delivered and when, and that each one has what he or she needs to complete his or her part.

Do your best with what you’re given

Here’s the point: God expects you to do your best with what you were given. This is illustrated in the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30), which describes a man who left the country for a while and loaned each of his servants a sum of money to invest for him while he was gone. For the sake of putting it in modern terms, let’s say he gave $5,000 to the first, $2,000 to the second and $1,000 to a third, dividing the money in proportion to their abilities.

On his return, the first servant had doubled the $5,000 given to him. The second had also doubled the money loaned. “Well done,” said their master. “You have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things” (Matthew 25:23).

The third servant, being afraid of his master’s retribution, hid the money in the ground. His master was furious that he did not even deposit the money in the bank! “For the man who uses well what he is given shall be given more, and he shall have abundance. But from the man who is unfaithful, even what little responsibility he has shall be taken from him” (Matthew 25:29, TLB).

Play the hand you’re dealt

Herbert W. Armstrong, a respected author and religious leader in the 20th century, in his book Mystery of the Ages commented: “We are to be judged by how well we do with what we have to do with. … [So] the one of lesser ability stands just as good a chance for reward in God’s kingdom as the one of great ability—if he tries as hard” (1985, p. 339).

Clearly this applies to unequal situations of all kinds, from families to nations. Much more is expected of the one who is really blessed.

You are dealt a hand in life, and God expects you to play that hand to the best of your ability. Providing you do that, you have succeeded in the Lord’s eyes.

Larry Murray is a member of the Church of God, a Worldwide Association, in Pretoria, South Africa. He was a marathon runner for over 20 years, then switched to cycling 10 years ago, and has ridden the Cape Argus Cycle Tour seven times. Alet, his wife of 37 years, is an artist in her spare time.