Your Gift is Unique

Robins are migratory birds, dividing their time between the milder northern states in the summer and the warmer southern climates in the fall. On a recent morning walk, I watched a flock of robins scrounging for food so they could continue their long flight south. Their burnt-orange feathers were very noticeable between the leaves as they searched for food for their journey ahead.

Robins are not known for having large brains, yet they navigate thousands of miles with remarkable accuracy. God built into them a set of navigational tools, instincts, abilities, and inner signals, which guide them year after year. They do not compare themselves to other birds such as eagles, sparrows, or geese. They do what God created them to do.

Be content with how God made you. We often look at others and wish we were more like them, more talented, more gifted, more successful, more noticed. We forget that God did not design us to be someone else. He designed us to be ourselves. He fashioned us with purpose, intention, and His own loving creativity. Ephesians 2:10 reminds us, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works.” That means you are not random, accidental, or lesser. You are crafted by God.

Just as the robin trusts its feathers for flight, we are called to trust the gifts God has woven into us. Some have the gift of teaching, others of serving. Some encourage, some lead, some create, some give. No one has everything, but everyone has something. The secret of living a happy life is simple: Be faithful with what God placed in you. Use it. Share it. Celebrate it. And most of all, be content in your own feathers. God made you that way, for a reason, for a purpose, and for His glory.

G. Yarian