1 Peter 4:10
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful
stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”
In the final week of our series, Don’t Waste Your Life, we have come full circle. During week one we talked about the importance of not wasting time, but making the most of every day. This week we will discuss the importance of not waiting for perfect. What do I mean by this? Let me explain.
Chocolate milk is a pretty big deal in our house. We only buy it for special occasions because otherwise my boys (okay, and I) would want to drink it around the clock. During the times that we’ve had it in our fridge I will let my boys enjoy their share of the cold, chocolaty deliciousness, and then I hide away a small smidge in the bottom of the jug for me to enjoy at the perfect time. And by perfect time of course I mean when I don’t have any little ones offering to help me drink it! But do you know what has happened on more than one occasion? While I have let my tasty treasure sit safely on the back shelf in the fridge waiting for just the right time to enjoy it to its full… it has gone bad! Yep, that’s right! While waiting for the perfect moment to enjoy my chocolaty goodness I have let it expire. Such a shame.
The good news in this story of course is that it is only chocolate milk and I can go and grab some more at the store anytime (although I know I shouldn’t!). The real shame is that in the same way I let chocolate milk go bad when waiting for the perfect time to use it, many of us do this with the gifts God has given us. How do I know? Because I have done it and I am pretty sure I am not alone. We know that He has equipped us with some special gift, talent, or skill, but rather than use it for His glory, we tuck it away on the back shelf waiting for just the right time to use it. Maybe we are waiting for a new season in life, for just the right opportunity to open up, or for time to hone it to perfection before using it.
The problem when we do this is that just like the chocolate milk, the perfect opportunity, season, or improvement that we have been waiting for may never come. Could it be that God wants us to use our gifts now, in our current seasons, with the opportunities presently set before us? Perhaps He’s waiting on us to get started before He will provide us with additional opportunities to use our gifts in the future.
Usually I encourage you to think outside the box. Today I suggest you think inside the box. Look at the gifts God has given you and where/how He might want you to use them now. Get creative. Perhaps you consider things like having young kids at home, having limited time or resources, etc. as reasons why you cannot use your gifts. Instead choose to see these limitations as opportunities to use your gifts, fulfill your purpose, and live your best life now.
Don’t waste your life. Don’t let your gifts go unused. Go fill up a glass of chocolate milk, enjoy its deliciousness, and then look for ways that you can put your gifts to use to accomplish God’s purposes for your life today!
