Purposed & Gifted

Faith

Sep 19

A month ago, we were faced with the news of another tragic loss – the passing of Chadwick Boseman, American actor. I’m not sure about you, but the news of his passing shook me a bit. It was an instant reminder that our lives are fragile and our time here on earth is limited. I was also saddened by the news of his battle with colon cancer. To be completely honest, I was shocked and struggled to wrap my head around the fact that he battled stage III colon cancer given all of the movies he starred in over the past few years. The more I reflected on the news of death, the more I became inspired by his life. I was inspired by his perseverance, his devotion to his craft, and the way he shared his gifts with the world.

In addition to feeling inspired, I also felt convicted. For example, there have been times when I failed to honor the time I set aside to work on my blog simply because I didn’t feel like it; but here was someone who continued to persevere and show up even in the face of adversity. This was a tough pill to swallow, but I told myself in that moment, “No more excuses.” No longer can I allow my feelings to dictate how I manage my time, my gifts, or my life. Now don’t get me wrong, there are times when I need to honor the needs of my body and rest or come back to something when I’m more productive; but this is very different than allowing things like laziness, procrastination, perfectionism, or fear to prevent me from pursuing my goals or living out God’s purpose for my life. After my time of reflection, I sensed God impressing upon me to be a better steward of my time and gifts.

“You have to cherish things in a different way when you know the clock is ticking, you are under pressure.” – Chadwick Boseman

As I mentioned before, our time here on earth is limited. We are not promised tomorrow, so we should cherish each day for the gift that it is and live each day purposefully. I say purposefully, because we were each created with a purpose. Some of you may be thinking, “I’m not even sure what my purpose is.” Well let me ask you a few questions: What are you passionate about? What issues do you feel burdened by? What skills come naturally to you? Start there and also ask God to reveal it to you. Once you discover it, become fully devoted to it. By doing so you are guaranteed to add value to this world, especially those within your sphere of influence. The world needs you and everything God has placed inside of you – your gifts, your skills, and your ideas. You are the answer to someone’s prayer. You are someone’s source of inspiration. You are the solution to a problem. This is also why we can’t allow things like laziness, procrastination, perfectionism, fear or whatever the hurdle is to interfere with the way we show up in the world. And if these are things that you truly struggle with, ask someone trustworthy and dependable to hold you accountable.

“Purpose is not related to career. Purpose is not related to a job. It’s related to what God put inside you that you’re supposed to give to the world.” – Chadwick Boseman
“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.” 1 Peter 4:10

So what is God calling you to do? What gifts do you have to share with this world? Whatever it is, show up authentically, become devoted to it, pursue excellence, and persevere when things get hard. No more excuses! We’ve all been blessed with time and gifts. Let’s steward them well and leave a mark that can’t be erased!