Recognizing and Using Your Gifts

I grew up in the country, and our pets roamed free. Back then, no one around us kept their animals fenced or chained unless they were really dangerous.

It wasn't unusual to walk outside and discover a strange dog at our house that had apparently decided he lived there now.

One time, a dog showed up that was incredibly fast. We called him Sam.

Sam loved to chase cars. A car would come down the road, and Sam would take off after it. He could keep up for a surprisingly long time.

After church, my Dad would stand outside greeting people as they left, and our dogs would usually be there greeting everyone too.

One night, a guest came out, saw Sam, and said he looked like a type of dog he had seen in Africa that was used for hunting.

I don't know if Sam really was that kind of dog, but I wouldn't have been surprised. That dog could run.

The funny thing is, if Sam had been bred to hunt, he had this incredible ability inside of him but instead of using it to hunt, he was chasing cars down a country road.

Sam didn't stay with us very long, and I've often wondered what happened to him.

But I've also thought about how much we can be like Sam.

You may have gifts and abilities inside of you that you haven't even recognized yet.

Maybe you're already using them, but you've never understood their real value.

Maybe you've spent years "chasing cars" with a gift that could be used for something much greater.

Someone may even see something in you that you haven't learned to see in yourself yet.

Your gifts need to be recognized.

They need to be developed.

And they need an opportunity to be used for what they were meant to accomplish.

Don't define yourself only by what you're doing today.

Start seeing the potential God placed inside of you.

Start seeing yourself as the champion you were created to be.

CHANGE THE WAY YOU SEE YOURSELF!