Be Brave
All of us need someone pouring into us. But we frequently find ourselves missing that desired figure in our lives. Without someone spurring us on, we can lose sight of our calling as a Christian, or we can get discouraged. Last week, I shared two things that we must focus our attention on as we wait for God to bring a Paul (or should I say “Paula”!) into our lives. In Paul’s letter to the younger Timothy, he urged Timothy to be wise and be focused while he waited on Paul’s arrival.The third instruction to Timothy hits the closest to home for me. We are each called to…
Be brave
At first blush, we might not think bravery applies to us. However, I think every woman, including myself, could use an extra dose. Timothy was told, “Do not neglect the gift you have…” (1 Timothy 4:14). For him, he had been given the ability to teach, and Paul was urging Timothy to use his gifts. It occurred to me that it was possible for Timothy to neglect the very thing that he had been created to do. So could I. What about you?We were each created with specific gifts to accomplish specific things for the Lord. Yet most of us either stay so busy in day-to-day details that we don’t make time to use our gifts, or we doubt our gifts really matter. Regardless of which path you take, the end result is the same: we miss experiencing the amazing joy of seeing God’s work being accomplished through us.This past November, I was shooting teaching videos for Miss Perfect. As I left the location after the first day of shooting, my mind was filled with doubt. “Who do you think you are?” “Nobody’s going to want to watch this.” “Beth Moore is so much better than you…” It all raced through my head. I had to make a decision to be brave.Being brave looks different for each of us. Maybe you need bravery to adopt a child, mentor a friend, start a ministry, interview for a new position, or leave a comfortable place. Regardless of what you need to be brave about, you must understand one truth: you will never know the full extent of your gift if you do not begin, or continue, to exercise it.One of the enemy’s strategies to make Christians and the church ineffective is for us to doubt the gifts that we have been given. Someone is counting on you to exercise your gifts whether you realize it or not.I have written one bible study. I could say, “Lifeway didn’t publish it, so I must not be a good writer” and never write again. Or I could realize that God is in the process of developing my gifts. He is orchestrating every opportunity I get, but I must step into those opportunities and be brave. I must be willing to stick my neck out there and say, “I am a writer; I am a teacher,” and develop my gifts, regardless of the outcome. I must be faithful in a little.I challenge you to identify what God has gifted you to do and then bravely begin exercising that gift. I would love to hear from you. What gift has God put within you that you need to start exercising? twitter | facebook