We live in a world that is structured to have other people define who we are. You are smart or dumb based on how a teacher grades you on a test.  You are skilled or unskilled based on whether your boss gives you a promotion.  You are beautiful or not based on the reaction you get from others.

The problem with letting the world tell us who we are is that the world makes mistakes … all the time. A girl may go through an awkward stage in her early teens.  Everyone may say that she is plain.   What the world doesn’t know is that she has seeds of beauty inside her.  Then in a couple of years, she blossoms into a beautiful young woman.

The kid who fails high school history may be viewed as dumb. But what no one realizes is that he has a gift for computers.  Inside him is a computer science genius who is waiting to shine.

An employee may make mistakes all the time as a receptionist. Everyone shakes their heads because she can’t transfer a call or properly schedule appointments.  But what no one knows is that she loves looking at advertisements in magazines and watching commercials on television.  She analyzes them, and she knows which ones work and which ones don’t.  She is meant to be a marketing whiz, but no one sees her gifts.

To put it bluntly, the world – your friends, family, colleagues, etc. – doesn’t know who you are. They don’t know the natural gifts that you have.  The world doesn’t know your enormous potential.  People like to sound smart and tell others what they are good at versus what they are bad at.  But truthfully, other people don’t know the amazing things that you are capable of doing.

Truly wise teachers and parents understand this concept. I recently listened to an interview of my band director from high school.  He said that he never discouraged a student from learning an instrument.  He had learned from experience that a student who was an average musician in high school could suddenly flourish in college.  Something would click, and their musical abilities would take off.  So he encouraged everyone, regardless of their current abilities.

Who truly knows what gifts you have? God.  And do you know who else knows your potential? You do. In your heart of hearts, you know that God has inclined you to be interested in certain things.  God has given you certain talents.  And most importantly, God has placed certain aspirations in your heart.  God has done this because He has specific things that He wants you to accomplish with your life.  It is up to you follow the path that He has laid out for you.

This week, consider whether you are using all your God given talents. If someone has discouraged you from believing in yourself in the past, today is the day to see yourself with the way God sees you.  Today is the day to take ownership of the gifts and talents that God has given you.  And today is the day to start using them in order to be a blessing to the world.

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