The Gratitude Shift - Embracing Six Gifts You Already HaveSample

GIFT 1: ALL GOOD GIFTS COME FROM THE FATHER

Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. James 1:17 NASB

We all have talents that come naturally to us as gifts from God. If we write, sing, paint, draw, or play an instrument, whatever it is, all these good things come from Him.

It took me years to acknowledge that, but one evening, as I strolled around a neighborhood lake, I realized that I can only say I’m a writer because God has gifted me with the ability to write. Writing has been a driving force in my life and a companion through thick and thin for as long as I can remember. It is a gift from God that He allows me to use.

As we grow spiritually, we should bring our talents along to have them develop with us. We should not take them for granted but treat them as something to steward. Other attitudes towards other parts of our lives (e.g., our relationships, money, entertainment, and money) go through the process of being like seeds falling to the ground and dying so there can be new growth. Similarly, we should hold our talents loosely before the Lord, acknowledging that as He gives us these talents, He can also allow them to be taken away.

Sometimes, we don't want to accept that we have a particular talent because we don't want to appear proud. However, acknowledging our creative talents can spark gratitude to the Giver of good gifts. Let us be grateful that in the divine act of creating each of us uniquely, He saw it fit to loan us the talents He did. May we use them for His intended purposes, whether to benefit others at times or use them as a personal emotional outlet when needed.

Prayer:

Lord, thank You for letting me be the one who can (insert talent here) the way only I can do it. I’m glad You know me so well and knew when You created me that this is what I would need. Help me to use it wisely in the ways that You would have me do. Help me hold (talent) loosely, knowing that it is on loan from You. Help me to invest in it and to steward it well so that in the end, I will hear from You that I did with it as You had purposed, whether that is to benefit others at times or to use it as a personal emotional outlet when I needed it to be. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.