Reclaiming Your Skills, Talents and Abilities and Restoring Your Purpose

One of my favorite hobbies is refinishing furniture. I love to find a piece that someone else has deemed no longer worthy of occupying their space and restoring its purpose.

While working on my most recent piece, a 1940s vanity, I couldn't help but wonder what a prized piece of furniture it must have been in its prime. When did it begin to lose its luster in the eyes of its owner? At what point was it determined the value was no more?

When I discovered the vanity, it was a little scuffed and scratched, but was structurally sound. It could still serve its main purpose in its current state, it just didn't offer the shiny, "pretty" exterior it once did.

As I sanded and painted and gave the piece the exterior treatment I wanted to make it perfect for my intended purpose, I couldn't help but think how this piece represents so many people. Do you know anyone who possesses talents, skills or abilities that they somewhere along the way lost sight of? Not regularly exercising those abilities, led to those skills being forgotten about and no longer valued by their possessor. As a result, the individual with those talents began to forget about their own personal value and worth.

As a follower of Christ, I know I have been blessed with talents, skills and abilities that have been uniquely gifted to me. We each have been uniquely gifted. We may not always recognize the value of the gifts we possess, but to the friend, co-worker or partner who lacks those same gifts the talent is priceless.  Don't let your God-given talents, skills and abilities become unclaimed property. Reclaim it and use those skills so that all those around you have an opportunity to see how God has equipped you. You'll not only feel more value in knowing you are being used for your intended unique purpose, but you'll also be viewed as more valuable by others.

Romans 12: 3 - 8

For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each of you. Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the standard of one's faith; if service, in service; if teaching, in teaching; if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.