Test the waters (2)

“Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given.”        Gal 6:4 TM

One pastor writes: “I could have taken a hundred gifts and ability tests as a young man and never discovered that I was gifted at teaching, because I’d never done it. It was only after I began accepting opportunities to speak that I saw the results, received confirmation from others, and realized God had gifted me to do this.” Unless you’re willing to risk getting involved, you’ll never know what you’re good at. Sure you’ll make mistakes—and some of them may be so discouraging you’ll want to give up and not try again. But if you turn your mistakes into learning experiences you’ll not only discover what God has called you to do, you’ll grow and become proficient at it. Paul writes: “Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that…Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life” (vv. 4-5 TM). Then he adds: “Let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit…therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all” (vv. 9-10 TM). Today take a serious look at what’s left of your life and decide to make it count. Some of the saddest words in life are on a tombstone that reads: “When I came to die, I discovered I had not yet lived.” Don’t let that be said of you!

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