“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings…”
Proverbs 22:29
I was reminded this morning what a blessing someone else’s gifts can be.
I have a friend—we’ll call her Tina. 😂
She has an amazing gift for design, organization, creating peace in a space, making decisions, decorating, knowing trends… to me, she’s just all things amazing!
She can take a space filled with clutter and dysfunction and turn it into a place of peace, productivity and functionality.
That is a GIFT.
I may be able to look at a space and come up with an idea of what I want it to become.
But there can be a BIG disconnect between imagining it and actually EXECUTING it.
That requires finding the person to do it, getting quotes, making decisions, scheduling things, buying things…
…and somewhere around step three, I can literally feel every last ounce of energy and productivity draining from my body. 😂
And then there’s Tina.
She is amazing at it.
I have plenty of things I’m not naturally good at.
Purging.
Keeping a closet functional and organized.
Decluttering storage spaces.
In an effort not to turn this devotional into a comprehensive list of my faults, we’ll stop there.
I assure you, there are more. 😂
But then there are things that bring me LIFE.
I love writing.
I am uber-energized when I have the opportunity to speak in front of large groups of people.
I love a captivated audience and the opportunity to share Jesus.
I love giving someone the chance to KNOW—without a shadow of a doubt—where they stand with Jesus.
Not:
“I’m probably an 8. I’m a pretty good person.”
Or:
“Maybe a 7? I think I’m going to Heaven.”
No.
I want somebody to be able to say:
“I’m a 10! I KNOW I’m going to Heaven. On August 28, 2026 at 11:39 a.m., I asked Jesus into my life. I belong to Him!”
I want them to know FOR SURE.
I love speaking.
I don’t get nervous.
I don’t usually wonder whether I’ll have anything to say.
I trust the Holy Spirit will give me the words, and I believe that even if ONE person is changed, encouraged, challenged or brought closer to Jesus—it mattered.
And yes, if I were scheduled to speak, there would absolutely be a prayed-over, prepared message. 😂
What else?
I love baking chocolate chip cookies.
They’re easy.
They’re good.
For me, they’re quick, because I have the recipe memorized.
And cookie dough may be one of the greatest side benefits God has ever attached to serving your family. 😂
And…
I love pouring into young people.
If it’s in a coaching environment, I love it.
I love the relationships.
I love the friendships that are built.
I love the opportunity for influence.
Sometimes that means cooking for young people—whether it’s in my home or before church on Wednesday nights.
We joke about the line from Field of Dreams:
“If you build it, they will come.”
I think with teenagers there may be another version:
“If you feed them, they will come.”
😂
Usually I can cook a pretty good meal.
I have also had some SOLID EPIC FAILS.
Like putting BBQ sauce instead of Buffalo sauce into Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese.
Not that I’m still wallowing in it or kicking myself.
AHHHHHHHHHHHH. 😭
But when I cook for those kiddos, it is done with LOVE.
I truly WANT it to be good.
Not because I want the glory for it, but because I want them to COME BACK.
If making something delicious helps get a teenager back to youth group the next week…
and somewhere along the way they give their life to Jesus…
or start journaling and praying…
or decide to read their Bible every day…
or make a commitment to purity…
or change their language…
then I will happily count every plate of food as:
SEED SOWN.
I think loving young people is one of my gifts.
I love them.
And more than anything, I want to influence them toward Jesus.
Which brings me back to the verses that got me thinking about all of this.
Proverbs 18:16 says:
“A man’s gift makes room for him and brings him before great men.”
And Proverbs 22:29 says:
“Do you see a man skilled in his work? He will stand before kings…”
Ideally, we begin to recognize what God has put inside of us.
What brings you joy?
What makes you come alive?
What are you naturally good at?
What would you still do even if nobody paid you?
I would write for free.
I would make cookies for free.
I would speak for free.
I would share Jesus for free.
I would cook dinner for kids for free.
But my friend Tina?
I WILL PAY HER FOR HER GIFT.
😂
She’s good at something I’m not good at, and her gift brings enormous value to my life.
Then there’s Susana.
Our sweet little abuelita—grandma—who helps us with laundry.
She loves our family so well.
She does laundry, changes sheets, prays for us and somehow accomplishes as much as humanly possible in five hours—usually staying much longer than that.
She does it because she loves Jesus and she loves our family.
And I will HAPPILY pay her!
Actually, I would love to pay her SOOOOO much more because she is such a blessing that I can hardly put it into words.
And as we prosper and increase, and as I’m able—
I WILL.
In Jesus’ Name!
Here’s what I love about all of this:
God has put different gifts in different people.
My weaknesses create space for someone else’s strengths.
Their weaknesses may create space for mine.
And when we steward those gifts well, they can serve people, bless people, open doors—and yes, sometimes even become the work that provides for our families.
What a DREAM.
To use what God put inside you…
to help somebody else…
and also pay the phone bill.
And the electric bill.
And the grocery bill.
😂
There is nothing unspiritual about that.
First Peter 4:10 says:
“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others…”
So thank You, God, for the gifts You have placed inside of me.
Thank You for allowing those gifts to make room and open doors.
Thank You for teaching me how to steward them well.
And above everything else, may every God-given talent You have placed inside of me ultimately be used for YOUR GLORY.
Grace, grace!
And I pray the same thing for YOU.
May you discover the gifts God placed inside of you.
May you use them.
May they bless other people.
May you LOVE what you are doing.
And may God open doors you never could have opened for yourself. ❤️
