Pursuing Excellence

What are you good at?

No, don’t try to be humble.  Just blurt it out loud.  What are you good at?

Well, guess what!  God gave that to you!

That’s right!  That thing that you seem to have a knack for, that thing that comes fairly easy for you, that thing that makes you smile–God gifted that to you!

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10

When God knit you, He included some very special giftings, some abilities that are unique to you.  But what does God expect of those abilities?

I used to think it was a bad thing that I was good at something.  I used to think I should spend my time working on those mediocre parts of me.  I used to think the saying, “Jack of all trades, Master of none,” was kind of catchy.

So, I spent all kinds of energy in activities I wasn’t all that good at.  I was just sure a woman after God’s own heart needed to be a great cook, an excellent seamstress, an organizer-extraordinaire.  I figured she probably needed to know how to decorate exquisite cakes, grow a bountiful garden, and write in perfect calligraphy.  My to-do list of what I *should* be was quite long and daunting.  But, I didn’t want God to be disappointed in me.

A lot of us have swum the rivers of mediocrity.  We bob around as we try to stay afloat, but we never really get anywhere.  We feel useless and sad.  We wonder if God is disappointed in us.

But remember, He created us!  He loves us!  And He put something in us that screams GLORY TO GOD! every single time we do it! And it is nowhere near mediocre.

I write.

I don’t remember a time when I haven’t been a writer.  I love it.  It comes easily to me.  It is a part of who I am.

But, I’ve had moments when I’ve wondered if it is wrong for me to like writing so much.  I’ve feared pride.  I’ve had people try to make me feel guilty for writing as much as I do.  People who suggest I am taking time away from my family, even when I know I am not.  I’ve questioned myself and in the process, questioned God.

Now, hear me when I say, some gifts have a season, and no gift should take away from our families, but rather add to them.  But, also hear me when I say, God is faithful to let you know what season you are in.  I truly believe God has me in a season of writing.  I want to honor that.

But, what about the pride factor?

Recently, I asked a friend of mine about the possibility of pride getting in the way of glorifying the Lord.  I asked how to avoid such a thing while doing something you are good at naturally.  Her answer was utterly profound and has had me pondering for days on end.

She said,

I believe you push that gift past the point of your own power and to the place where it can only be God’s power.

Whoa!  Soak that in for a second, folks!

And where might she be getting this notion?

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
2 Cor 4:7

Excellency.  That is a meaty word.  That is a powerful word.  That is a God word!

Are you living in excellence?  Are you pushing beyond yourself?  Are giving your talents and gifts to God, expecting His power to be seen through them?

So, what is that thing you are good at that you blurted out at the beginning of this post?  I would encourage you to ask the Lord if now is the time for that gift.  And if it is, pursue excellence in that gift, and kick it up a notch by handing it all over to Him, the One Who created this gift in you, the One Who can and will use this gift to show the excellence of His power!

Quit living in mediocrity and start living a life of excellence!

Resources:
The Me I Want To Be
by John Ortberg

Womanly Dominion
by Mark Chanski

Join me over in my Blog Frog community to discuss ways you can pursue excellence in the gifts God has given you!