Laura L. Smith
  • Brave Woman Mighty God
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Speaking
  • Home
  • The Urgency of Slowing Down
  • Restore Retreat
  • Contact Laura
  • Blogs

How to Use Your God-Given Gifts to Make the Mundane Marvelous

6/14/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
God calls us to use our unique gifts in the everyday moments of life.
I was recently at a parent’s meeting for one of my children’s athletic teams. No one asked me what I brought to the table, because all I brought was my calendar App, a pen and some blank checks, just like every other parent in attendance.

At a different meeting two nights later—one for the Bible study teachers at my church—each attendee was asked what we brought to the table for the project we were working on. Each person named a strength or specific talent or skill they had. We were all passionate about learning more about the Bible and about teaching it, so we all had an invested interest in the cause, and it was easy for all of us to name a reason why we were there, what we hoped to contribute.

It was important for me to be at both meetings, but one was something I was fired up about, and one was just something I needed to gather information at. How do we embrace our true reflections, shine the lights God has put within us all of the time, not just when we’re in our groove, but when we’re in the every day, in the comings and goings and necessary parts of life?

​What if you’re a connector—someone who’s fabulous at introducing people with similar interests or like minds? That’s great at a conference or a retreat or for matchmaking prom dates, but how about when you’re scrubbing the bathrooms or filling up your car with gas? You can’t introduce the toilet to the sink or send a group text to the people at the other pumps. My dear friend, Jamie, is an amazing artist.  But how does she apply her artistic talent to bill paying? She can’t paint a check to the car insurance company. Well, I guess she could, but they probably wouldn’t accept it as payment. I believe even in these routine scenarios there are ways to tap into our talents—to make a difference.
Picture
How does Putt Putt relate to everyday life?
We spend a large chunk of our time doing the daily stuff. Miniature golf (much like going to the bank or chopping vegetables) is not any of my family member’s calling. None of us are professional golfers (just like none of us are hoping to win that chopping veggies scholarship). But we all enjoy playing on vacation, and we all bring something different to the course. We all choose a different colored ball, maybe even different lengths of putters. We approach the holes differently. And even though it’s not any of our ultimate games, we all need to bring our best to the game.

In the realm of green Astroturf and blue-colored fountains one of my daughters loves to keep score. She likes to be in control of all things—from where we place family photos on our bookshelves to how we arrange snacks and napkins when company comes over. Being responsible for the scorecard and the pencil allows her to be in control. She also loves to be in the know, and in this role she has constant access to everyone’s standings.

My mom does sound effects. Seriously. She cheers for the hole-in-ones and sympathizes with shots gone awry. Virtually every stroke evokes a “Wow!” or “Ohhh!” or “Uh-oh!” from Mom. If you’re lucky, she’ll shout, “Yippee!” Her energy makes us feel like someone cares about our shots, like it’s worth trying again on the next one.

My golfer son gives advice. “A little to the left.” “You’ll want to hit this one a bit harder than you think.” He understands the engineering of a course and how force and momentum play into each hole. His gentle suggestions give me a place to start and an idea of what I’m supposed to do when I set down my bubble gum pink ball.

My youngest has a sense of wonder. He stops to chase a salamander, picks up a rock to feel the weight of it in his hand, and asks what kind of butterfly just flitted past. The rest of us are mainly playing Putt-Putt, but he helps remind us of the beautiful details around us. Miniature golf is fun, but it’s not necessary and it’s not my passion. But even in the ordinary, God calls us to live fully, all in for Him.
Picture
Colossians 3:17
​In these normal spaces in life, how do we embrace our true reflections? By doing the same thing we do when we are in our sweet spot—thinking through our strengths and weaknesses, about our unique giftings. Then using our God-given talents in these seemingly uneventful or unimportant spaces. All those things my family did on the Putt Putt course? They do those things in all aspects of their lives. My daughter is an organizer. My mom is a cheerleader. My older son is great at instructing others from helping his younger brother with a math problem to showing his sister some new chords on the guitar. And, my youngest is always ambling down paths, picking up leaves, and noticing things the rest of us fail to see. By bringing their strengths to everything they do, including a family game, they are making the overall experience for everyone better and truly being the best versions of themselves, even in something that’s not a deal breaker or game changer for anyone.

​
What are the mundane activities in your life? Cleaning out the garage? Going to the doctor? Working the booth at the school carnival? When we’re doing those activities we are still called to give it our all. If you’re a baker, make sure you sign up to bring the snack. If you’re good with numbers collect the checks or run the spreadsheet. If you’re musical keep your iHome handy and play DJ while pitching in.
We have all been gifted. There isn’t a soul alive who hasn’t been. And God calls us to use our gifts to make this world more awesome. But He doesn’t just call us to use these gifts in the magnificent moments to achieve our deepest dreams. He does call us to that, and He calls us strongly. But, God also calls us to use our talents to cheer someone up, move something along, or make an everyday moment extraordinary.
 
How will you use one of your gifts to make an ordinary thing extraordinary this week? Share with me in the comments below.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Laura  L. Smith

    Subscribe

    * indicates required
    Email Format

    RSS Feed

    Categories

    All
    Advent
    Adventures
    Allergies
    Apples
    Back Packing
    Baggage
    Basketball
    Batman
    Beauty
    Believe
    Bible
    Blogging
    Book Reviews
    Books
    Braces
    Brandi Chastain
    Breast Cancer Awareness
    Cafeterias
    Celebrating
    Change
    Chocolate
    Christmas
    Coffee
    College
    Community
    Concert
    Contest
    Control
    Courage
    Created In God
    David And Golaith
    Disney
    Divergent
    Dreams
    Driving
    Easter
    Embracing Your Role
    Enjoying Life
    Europe
    Exercise
    Fall
    Family
    Farmer
    Fashion
    Fasting
    Fear
    Finding Your Place
    Fireworks
    Fishing
    Fixed By Force
    Fixer Upper
    Flowers
    Football
    Forgiveness
    Free Books
    Friendships
    Frozen
    George Clooney
    Getting Closer To God
    Getting Closer To God
    Gilmore Girls
    Goals
    God
    God\
    God Given Gifts
    God-given Gifts
    Golden Rule
    Good Friday
    Gospel
    Grace
    Graduation
    Grandma
    Growth
    Guys
    Hair
    Happiness
    Healing
    Health
    Heroes
    High School
    Holy Week
    Homecoming
    HOPE
    Hot Lunch
    Ides Of March
    Impact
    Inner Beauty
    Interviews
    Invisalines
    Isaiah 40
    It's Addicting
    Jason Bourne
    Jason Warne
    Jesus
    Journeys
    Joy
    Laughing
    Laundry
    Legos
    Lent
    Letting Go
    Life Lessons
    Light
    Listening
    Listening To God
    Love
    Luggage
    Magi
    Magic
    Magic Kingdom
    Mental Health
    Metro
    Miracles
    Moms
    Moon
    Moses
    Movies
    Music
    New Year
    New Year\
    Obedience
    Oliver Twist
    Pansies
    Patience
    Peace
    Perseverance
    Peter Walking On Water
    Pick Pockets
    Pink Bra
    Planning
    Playing By The Rules
    Playlist Fiction
    Popsicles
    Potential
    Praying
    Princess
    Princess Diaries
    Prize
    Promises
    Psalm 139
    Realigning Your Life
    Recipes
    Relationship
    Running
    Savor
    Seat Assignments
    Self Image
    Self-Image
    Self-image
    Sharing
    Shopping
    Snow Patrol
    Soccer
    Social Justice
    Social Media
    Sororities
    Spring
    Steroids
    Stories
    Straightening Out Your Life
    Strength
    Stretching To Hear God
    Subway
    Summer
    Summer Reading
    Superheroes
    Superman
    Swimsuits
    Tag
    Take Breaks
    Taking Time
    Teen Fiction
    Thankful
    Thessalonians
    The Thief Lord
    The Word
    Toads
    Tortoise
    Travel
    Trips
    True Reflection
    Trust
    Truth
    U2
    Unpacking
    Winter
    Wonder Woman
    Writing
    Yoga
    Zumba


Follow along with Laura on Instagram:​

Photo from Narisa
  • Brave Woman Mighty God
  • Podcast
  • Books
  • Speaking
  • Home
  • The Urgency of Slowing Down
  • Restore Retreat
  • Contact Laura
  • Blogs