When I was growing up, I wanted to be a stand-up comedian. There were two big problems with this career ambition, however. The first problem was I wasn't all that funny. The second was I didn’t know how to write jokes. You see, when I was a child, I loved to see people happy, hence my desire to be a comedian.
After I realized I shouldn’t be a comedian, I went through a phase of wanting to be a lawyer because I wanted to help people. However, like before, I quickly learned I didn't have the necessary skills or talents for that career either.
As I grew into an adult, I had the great privilege of working for a company that was rooted in Christian values. Then, I heard a sermon about living the “9-5 Lie”. The 9-5 Lie is simply working 9-5, spending time at home, sporting events, etc., and not using your gifts and talents that God has given you for His purpose. In that moment, I realized that God had given us all talents to be used for His purposes and not our own. That is what led me to IDES.
Genesis 1:27 says “ So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them.” All our gifts are a direct reflection of who God is. It’s amazing to me how God created the Body of Christ to function. He wants to use us for His glory so He can be closer to us and bring others to know Him as well.
As I look at the twelve apostles, I think that it probably would have been easier on Jesus to surround himself with men who were like-minded; they might have gotten along with each other better. Jesus would have had less questions to answer while he was trying to teach. But instead, He chose to surround Himself with twelve very different men with different talents.
I believe that Jesus wants the Church to be filled with all gifts, talents, ages, etc., so we can be a reflection of who He is. This is one of the things that I love about working at IDES—how different everyone is who works and volunteers here. However, even though we’re all different, the two things that everyone has in common is their love for Jesus and how they want to use their talents to help others know Jesus.
Whether you are five or eighty-five, everyone has a gift and talent that can be used to further His Kingdom. I encourage you to open your hearts and pray to God and ask Him to show you how He wants you to use your talents to help serve and encourage others.