Gifts (by Cathe Laurie)

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace” (1 Peter 4:10 ESV).

Alright. . . let’s talk about gifts.

But Cathe, Christmas is over! The gifts are already open!

Not gifts under the tree—gifts that you’ve been given! The talents you possess! It’s the new year. . . time for resolutions and goals as we step into 2025. And the question that starts to ring through the air: What am I good at? Or what do I want to be good at?

Where You Need to Be

Really, it’s what we start trying to figure out as we’re children! I wanted to be a nun for a while until I realized it wasn’t singing and flying like in the movies and TV shows! Then, when I found out I was good at swimming, running, and cycling, I thought maybe I could be a triathlete! That lasted for a while (I took first places in my division!), but eventually, I found exactly where I needed to be.

Options are endlessly available to us. And, unfortunately, so is comparison. It’s easy to pop online and wish we could accomplish what others are doing. We want to be the next best speaker, the best-selling author, the accomplished CEO of a new start-up company that goes big.

But is that what we’re meant to do?

You were made for a purpose, with special talents and abilities.

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:4–8 ESV).

Our Calling This New Year

God has already given you a unique, special gift that He designed just for you to do! And we’re called to live out our purpose, not someone else’s. Notice that each gift comes with a specific calling.

As we step into this new year, perhaps we focus less on what we want to change about ourselves and more on what we want to grow in and learn about ourselves. Perhaps this is the year we understand more about the skills we possess and how God wants to use them for His Kingdom!

Trust me. . . you weren’t made on accident. 2025 can be the year we fall back into our purpose. Let’s reclaim who we are and who God designed us to be and step into what He’s made us to do!

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Cathe Laurie is the founder and director of the Virtue women’s ministry. She is also a featured speaker on The Virtue Podcast, at Harvest events, and the author of As I See It. You can find her weekly articles here on harvest.org.