What are your special skills?

I have no problem admitting that I love to watch movies. What I do have a hard time admitting is that one of the movies I enjoy is Napoleon Dynamite.  One of the classic lines from this award winning film happens when Napoleon is talking to his best friend Pedro. Napoleon shares, “I don’t even have any special skills...like nunchuk skills, bow hunting skills, or computer hacking skills.” What I think Napoleon was actually struggling with was not the fact that he didn't have any skills but rather they weren’t as cool as someone else’s. He was comparing his talents to the talents of others and found his to be lacking. Be honest, haven’t you wished you had nunchuk skills? Why is it we harshly judge our own gifts and abilities against the strengths and talents of others and for some reason the gifts of others are always grander and more admirable?

As we chew on Romans 12:3-8 we see that kind of thinking is distorted in comparison to God’s word. Paul tells us that we have been given gifts according to the grace given to us, and these gifts work in unison, much like our body. While we have one body, it’s made of many parts; hands, arms, legs, neck, and ears. These parts do different things but it’s still one body. The analogy that Paul is using here pertains to the church. Christ is the body, and each Christian is a member or body part of the whole body. Some of us are the eyes, arms, legs, mouths, and fingers, but each of us has a purpose to the body.

Have you ever thought about your gifts? Have you ever thought about the fact that the Designer and Creator of the universe assigned certain gifts to you alone as he was knitting you together?  It’s mind boggling to me that God would care enough about me, to uniquely craft me in such a way that sets me apart. Yet, when I go comparing myself to others I ultimately begin to doubt the divine gifting of God.

I love how Eugene Peterson puts it in The Message; ‘let’s just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren’t.” Isn’t that huge? Comparison only paralyzes us, and ultimately the whole body. If I am not using my gifts because they don’t seem good enough to me, then I am not only hurting myself but the whole body of Christ.

If I could, I would tell Napoleon that nunchuk skills are awesome, but so are his God given gifts. However, since I can’t, I’ll tell you, my friend, that God has implanted in you exactly what he wants you to have. Don’t be distracted or discouraged any longer. Paul tells us to ‘do’ whatever it is that we are created to do. So, I say to you…go and get busy! You are ready and fitted for service because you have special skills…you’ve been gifted by God!

Blessings,

Christy Garison, SERVE Minister