Use What You Have

Recently, my husband was sharing with me a passage from Max Lucado's book, Cure For The Common Life. Max tells the story of a special Sunday School teacher he once had that would have the children color a picture of Jesus in a unique way. She had taken time to rinse out and dry empty tin cans that once held peaches or vegetables. She then placed a few crayons in each can and each child receive their own can of crayons to color their picture of Jesus. She had only one rule, “Use what you have.” Each child could only use the crayons in the can they received. If there was no brown or yellow or black to color Jesus' hair, perhaps His hair could be purple this time or blue, if that's what you have in your can of crayons, “use what you have.”

Max goes on to say that she proudly displayed each picture and praised each child as though they had just created a Rambrandt masterpiece. Each one is unique, just like you. That teacher was teaching her children through a series of examples that God has created everyone to be unique and special in his or her own way. God equips each person with specific gifts and talents and He expects us to, “use what you have.” He gives each of us different talents and gifts, just as that teacher gave a handful of a variety of colors to each child. No two people are exactly the same and each one should use what he or she has been given in their own unique way.

“Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. ” 1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

God never planned for each person to be just alike. He planned for all the different talents and gifts and unique people to work together, each in their own different way to glorify God. That's one reason why God also gives us free choice. We are not puppets on a string, neither are we cookie cutter paper dolls. God gives each of us unique gifts and talents and He wants us to choose how to use them for Him. He wants us to choose Him, but it is our choice.

How could each one of us use what we have to glorify Him? Will we paint a unique picture of God for the world in how we choose to live our lives? Something to think about. Show the world the unique colors you have in your life.  Use what God has given you. How beautiful will your picture of Jesus be for all the world to see.