I want to begin this blog with a simple question, but one that has the power to make you stop and think: Are you using the gift God put inside you… or is it still buried where no one, not even you, can see it?
It’s easy to think we don’t have a gift, or that our gift isn’t as important as someone else’s. But God doesn’t give gifts by mistake. He doesn’t place them in us to sit unused or buried. He gives gifts so His glory can be seen through everyday people… people like you, people like me, people He wants to use in big and small ways.
Growing up, I didn’t know what I was good at. I tried almost everything… basketball, football, baseball, anything that might make me feel talented or important to the people around me. Writing never seemed like a real skill to me. It felt like something I only did when I had to.
But God knew something I didn’t.
Sometimes the gifts God gives us don’t show up right away. Just because you can’t see them yet doesn’t mean they aren’t there.
Romans 12:6 says, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” At the time, I only noticed what I saw in other people, not what God had placed in me.
Everything changed one day in 10th grade. In English class, our teacher gave us an assignment: write a 3,000-word paper on any topic. I wasn’t inspired or confident. I simply wrote what came to mind. For some reason, I chose to write about a mass murderer. It wasn’t emotional. It didn’t feel meaningful. I just wrote the paper and turned it in.
A week later, the teacher announced she would read one paper aloud… the one that stood out above the rest. As she began to read, I instantly knew it was mine. My heart raced. My palms sweated. I just sat frozen, as she continued to read. When class ended, she asked to speak with me privately.
I thought I was in trouble. Instead, she smiled and said, “You have a gift. God put this in you. Don’t ever stop writing. One day, your words will help people.”
At that moment, I didn’t understand. I was still focused on basketball. But looking back, I see God was at work long before I recognized it. He was showing me a gift I didn’t value yet… a gift He wanted to use.
Sometimes the thing you think is small is exactly what God wants to use.
The enemy loves to convince us our gift doesn’t matter. He wants us to ignore it, hide it, or compare it to someone else’s. And if he can do that, he can stop us from stepping into what God has called us to do. But God doesn’t see gifts the way people do. He doesn’t compare them or rank them. He gives each of us exactly what we need to do the work He created us for.
1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others.”
Not the gift your friend has. Not the one that looks impressive on social media. Your gift. And when you use it, people won’t see how great you are, they’ll see how great God is.
Jesus tells a story in Matthew 25 about three servants. Their master gave them talents and left. Two of them used what they were given and multiplied it. The third buried his talent. He didn’t lose it. He didn’t break it. He just hid it.
And that is where the problem begins.
Hiding a gift doesn’t protect you, it keeps you from living the life God created for you. Many of us do the same thing. We let fear, doubt, or comparison keep our gifts out of sight. We wait for the “perfect moment,” but it never comes. And with every day that passes, we start to feel more like we’re on the sidelines of our own lives.
I’ve been there. I’ve hidden my gifts out of fear and insecurity. I’ve compared myself to everyone else until my own talents felt small. I waited for signs, for permission, for the confidence that never came… until it finally hit me: God didn’t need me to feel ready. He just needed me to be willing.
God gave you a gift for a reason. It’s not meant to hide. It’s meant to move, to live, to shine… not so people can praise you, but so they see Him. The world needs what only you can offer.
Galatians 6:4 says, “Pay careful attention to your own work.”
Your own work… the work God placed in your hands.
When my teacher spoke those words over me, I didn’t fully understand. Now I see it clearly: the gifts we receive aren’t meant to make our names famous. They exist to make His name known. When people notice our gifts, it’s not about admiring us, it’s about seeing God who placed them there.
Matthew 5:16 says, “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Not glorify you. Not lift you up… But to Glorify God. Your gift is a light God placed in you for His glory.
So ask yourself: Are you using the gift God put in you, or is it still buried?
It’s not too late. Step into it. Speak through it. Move with it. God gave it for a reason, and He will make it powerful in your hands. Don’t wait. Don’t doubt. Let God use what’s in you to change lives… starting with your own. And let every moment point back to Him, because the glory is His alone.
God is saying: “I placed this gift in you for such a time as this. Step forward boldly. Do not fear. Do not compare. I will guide your steps, empower your hands, and accomplish through you what only I can do. I am with you, and you will not fail.”
Pray with me.
Father God,
I thank You for the gift You placed inside me. Today, I ask You to open my eyes to see it as You see it, full of purpose, full of power, and full of potential. Remove fear, doubt, and comparison from my mind. Give me the courage to use what You have given me, and let everything I do bring glory to You alone. I surrender my gift to You. Move through me, empower me, and let my life reveal Your greatness.
