My kids took such pleasure in making fun of me. They were sure I was the last person on earth (besides Grandma and Grandpa) who didn’t have a smart phone. Honestly, I didn’t care. My beat-up old phone met my needs. I could make phone calls. I could send texts. I could even take slightly blurry, mediocre pictures. 

I’ll admit, sometimes I felt a tad jealous when other moms whipped out their sleek little gadgets and checked their email or logged onto Facebook. 

But oh well. Who needs gadgets anyway?

Apparently Curt thought I did, because guess what I got for my birthday? My very own iPhone 6! Finally, if for only a moment, my kids thought I was cool. 

It was a great gift. It had a cute purple case and tons of nifty features. There was only one problem. I didn’t use any of those features.  

Yep. This phone offered the world at my fingertips, but I used it only to text my kids and call my mom. I definitely wasn’t using it for what it was made for. (Steve Jobs would be so disappointed.)

Finally after a week or two, I started exploring my options. I downloaded a few Apps. I subscribed to some podcasts. And, just to see what all the fuss is about, I took a few selfies. After all, this phone was a gift; I should use it to its potential! 
                                                                                             
You know, God gives us great gifts too. Unfortunately; like my cell phone, we tend to ignore them. 

Sounds crazy doesn’t it? What if God Himself handed you a beautiful present – and you refused to open it? What if you just threw it in a closet and shut the door?

I mean seriously, who would ignore a gift from God?

Well … me, I guess.

When I first started writing for the church newsletter, sweet elderly ladies tried to encourage me. They’d stop me after church and say the nicest things.

“I really enjoy your writing, Sheri. God has given you a gift.”

I’d smile and thank them, but inside I didn’t believe it. What? A gift? Nah! Writing is just my silly little hobby.

For nine years I was more than happy to write for the church. It was fun. It was fulfilling. And it felt safe.

Then Madison started kindergarten, and I began feeling like I should step out of my safe comfort zone. After all, God says if we are faithful with the little things, He will trust us with big things.

And He proved it to me.

The more I trusted Him with my writing, the bigger my audience became. Today I write for Guideposts Magazine. Guideposts generally has two million subscribers – which translates to around six million readers.

Whew! The thought of six million people reading my words … only God could do that!

So how about you? What do you enjoy doing? Is there something you seem to be naturally good at? It’s not a matter of pride; it’s about exploring the gift God gave you. He decides what gifts to give; but only we can decide what to do with those gifts.

Let me encourage you. If you’re faithful to use what God has given you – either big or small – He will be faithful to put opportunities in your path. He proved it to me. Let Him prove it to you.

“Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”
– Leo Buscaglia