God gave each and every one of us a talent. God has given you talents to benefit others, not yourself and God gave other people talents that benefit you. Whether you are a school teacher, fitness instructor, singer, accountant or a cook, God has given you your abilities to serve others. There is actually a bible verse that says this exact thing. The verse for today is, “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)
I realized one of my talents is to coach others about health and fitness. I developed a great fulfilment in helping others and seeing other people live out their dreams and watch them discover a new talent along the way. Being a coach is fun, but it can also come with adversity. Adversity is quite infrequent, but it can still happen. I am thankful that out of the four years I have been a coach, I have only had about two clients that have done something out of character to me. You can’t control other people’s actions, but you can control your own. We are all human, so when you hear or experience something negative from someone else, it is a natural response to want to be negative back.
This is where you don’t give in. Some people are just negative creatures. You didn’t make them that way and you can’t control their mindset. These people are usually dealing with something much deeper than you and they have to get to the root cause of their issue. Why are some people always negative? Could they actually derive pleasure from making negative comments to other people while attempting to destroy your confidence? Is them being negative, helping them to suppress their feelings of inferiority caused by their failure to accomplish their goals? Are they jealous or trying to gain personal satisfaction by trying to bring you down?
Whether negative people talk unceasingly about themselves and their difficulties or design negative comments to make you feel inadequate or bring you down, the result is the same. Time and energy are drained, while cynical people will likely continue with negative thinking. There is only one solution to negativity, don’t respond and turn the other cheek.
Turning the other cheek means not to return insult for insult in retaliation, which is what most people expect and how worldly people act. When we respond in a manner that is unnatural, it displays the power of the Holy Spirit. An example to look at is when Jesus was on the cross. He was silent, while his accusers were crucifying him. He didn’t call down revenge from Heaven, he just forgave them. That’s what you need to do.
I know it’s easier said than done. It has been a challenge for me with social media at the highest point it has ever been, I am constantly getting bombarded by gossip. He said this and she said that. Sending screen shots, etc. I used to give in and then one day it hit me, I don’t want to be like that. You have to turn the other cheek and not give in to the maliciousness of others. Remember what Proverbs 16:28 says, “A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends.” Another verse that comes to mind is Proverbs 20:19, “A gossip betrays a confidence; so avoid anyone who talks too much.”
When others text you or call you and want to talk about someone else and you don’t want to participate remember what Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.”
Great people don't just wake up someday and become great, they discover something they can do and then put it to work with lots of practice. You can do this, it just takes practice. Practice being positive and don’t give in to the negativity. Don’t let one bad apple ruin the bunch and don’t let one person make you not want to keep doing what God has called you to do. After all, you are working for him at the end of the day and the Devil uses any and every one to try and get you off the right path.
When God gives you a talent, he expects you to use it. It’s like a muscle. If you use it, it will grow. If you don’t, you’ll lose it. If you have a talent but are afraid to use it and don’t use it to benefit others, you’re going to lose it. Like the parable of the ten talents in Luke 19, “if you don’t use what God has given you, he will take it away and give it to someone else who will. But if you use your talents wisely, God will give you more. If you use your time wisely, God will give you more time. If you use your energy wisely, God will give you more energy. If you use your influence wisely, God will increase your influence. God will bless your level of faithfulness.”
Stay positive everyone, use your God given talents and don’t give in to the daily gossip!
