I recently shared with you my personal celebration of the fourth anniversary of Gatepost Weekly which Casey has grown into an amazing communication tool, but I didn’t share my journey as a writer during these four plus years. In the beginning, I supposed it would be a   bridge keeping us connected as a Christian family throughout an epidemic that crippled our world and has changed it in so many ways. I’m sure I never thought I’d still be doing what I’m doing, but it gave me a challenge during those very trying months of isolation. At that time, I planned ahead quite a bit, putting together several series that required a lot of research. In short, I depended on myself.

At some point, I’m not sure when, I stopped trying to plan and started listening and watching for tiny threads that could become an actual story, of sorts. There are clues all around us if we make the effort to be observant and I needed to start using all my senses to absorb any nudges, as I like to think of them, that might relay a message that needed to be shared.

Sometimes those threads began weaving an idea during a sermon, sometimes a particular praise song touched me. Then there were times when a friend of mine would simply drop a comment in passing that seemed to need more clarification. Yet again, there were times when strangers whose perspectives differed greatly from mine provided the material for a meaningful discussion. The words of another writer might birth the seed for an important topic and, of course, scripture always provides incredible insights.

And more often than you may realize, Pastor Dennis and I had been working on the same message in a given week, sometimes from the same perspective and sometimes opposite positions. A few months into writing for the Gatepost Weekly, I began to realize that my line of communication with the Lord had strengthened. I was depending on Him to provide the meat of what I would write. I stopped pushing myself to beat my deadline and just let God do what he does best…he guides us. But here’s the thing…we have to choose to listen.

The Lord replied, “I’ll go myself, and I’ll help you.” Exodus 33:14 CEB

This scripture was the verse of the day on YouVersion one day last week, and it obviously was meant for Moses, when God made known his demand that Moses lead God’s people, Moses’ people, out of slavery and into the Promised Land. I dug a little deeper into Exodus to find some context and it became clear that it’s a message meant for all of us.

Each of us was created long ago for a unique purpose and it can be easy to overlook or to ignore, but if we search our hearts and discover whatever it is that we do well, we will be on the journey of discovering our purpose. We needn’t waste time trying to adapt to someone else’s unique qualities, we weren’t created to mimic anyone else. We are asked to utilize the skills or talents we are given to encourage others to know that they are loved as God’s own children just as we are.

You may not see helping neighbors with maintenance chores as being a gift or talent, but it is. Just because you really should reserve your less than stellar singing voice for the shower shouldn’t prevent you from inviting a new acquaintance to church for some uplifting praise and worship music. Your ability to reach out to a stranger in need of a hug may just be a normal part of your daily routine, but it’s a gift that many of us just don’t have. If you enjoy indulging in the culinary arts and share the rewards with a busy working mom or dad, that’s a gift much appreciated. And if you share a few moments of your busy day with the kids in your neighborhood, you’ll impact their very impressionable lives more than you may ever know.

We tend to view personality traits that help others as being skills beyond our reach. They aren’t. The best gifts of all are the little things we do for each other, the things we take for granted. But the receivers of those gifts of kindness see them as much more. If you haven’t already found your talent or special skill, make an effort to do so. Maybe you’re ready to explore a newly discovered gift. Dive right in! As little children we mimic our parents to learn important life skills. But we reach a level of maturity that demands we not mimic others; we must stand tall in our own shoes. Don’t concern yourself with being like your best friend. Be yourself. God will go with you, and he will help you.

The world doesn’t need another copy of someone else, the world needs you. Bob Goff, Live in Grace, Walk in Love