Do you know what gifts you possess?

Some of us have been given gifts to lead, others gifts to write or teach and still others have gifts that share joy and laughter.  Sometimes our gifts are a heavy burden but nonetheless, they are ours to behold. 

I have often said in life that each one of us was born with a handicap but that we also were born with a special, unique gift that counterbalances our shortcoming.  We all have gifts and it is foolish of us to put ourselves down or deliberately ignore the talents that we possess.  It would better serve us if we would hold ourselves in high-esteem knowing that God has given us a great gift so it is our duty and responsibility to use it to the best of our ability. 

We all have the talents to create miracles in our lives and the lives of those around us, we simply need to look into the mirror and believe that we are born in the image and likeness of God and that we are actually one of his instruments doing his work.  

Oh, it is true, we may be fat or short and we may have very little hair on our heads but that is simply a small inconsequential trait compared to the grandness that we possess within our core.  Your inner strength, creativity and integrity is yours alone to use as a path to walk upon to help you on your journey. 

Our God is a non-denominational God—He is the God of all peoples.  If you are feeling insecure or unloved, if you sometimes think that no one understands you and your voice goes unnoticed, ask God for enlightenment, for wisdom and for understanding.  He will send it to you.  In my life’s journey, I have found God in the strangest way.  He has spoken to me through a song, a billboard, a sign, a stranger and even a dream.  Be watchful and listen.  A message will come to you when you least expect it. 

Learn to feel with your heart.  If something feels good, you know God is with you.  If you feel a check in your spirit, that is a signal that you need to be cautious and that maybe you should take another look.

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that frightens us most.  Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented and famous?  Actually, who are you not to be?  You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that people won’t feel insecure around you.  We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us.  It’s not just in some of us; it’s in all of us.  And when we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.” –  Those were the words used by Nelson Mandela during his 1994 inaugural speech.


 Joan Marie Ambrose

Author, Creative Writer, Motivational Speaker