Give What You Were Given

Intro:

We are all born with innate gifts.

I want you to think back to a moment. A moment when something came easily to you while others struggled. A moment when your presence alone changed the room. A moment when you were the only one who could deliver what was needed.

Maybe it was your ability to lead when things fell apart. Maybe it was your calm. Your discipline. Your words. Your hands. Your ability to see what others missed.

Perhaps you spoke when others froze. Perhaps you stayed steady when things became uncertain. Perhaps you organized chaos or carried weight without resentment.

Long before you ever tried to define yourself, there were situations that pulled something out of you automatically. Effortlessly. Moments where you didn’t need to rise to the occasion. You just simply revealed who you already were.

If you think hard enough, you’ll realize that at some point, life asked something of you. And only you were able to give it. Small or big, visible or quiet, you delivered naturally.

Maybe it was a moment of grief or heartache, where you consoled someone in a way no one else could. Maybe it was a moment where just being you gave someone strength, clarity, or hope.

This is how we begin to recognize and understand our gifts. And with that recognition comes great responsibility.

Reflection:

Most people know what a gift is. By definition, a gift is something meant to be given. Yet most of us hold tightly to ours.

We minimize them. We reduce them simply to talents or personality traits. We treat them as optional. As something we can choose to use or ignore depending on mood, circumstance, or confidence.

But the moments you just reflected on were not casual moments. They were moments of requirement. Of contribution. Of service.

Something was needed, and something in you responded. And whether you realize it or not, those moments mattered. Not just to you, but to someone else.

Your gifts don’t always appear when it’s convenient. They often surface in uncertainty, pressure, crisis, or loss. And the greater the gift, the greater the demand placed upon it.

This is why our most powerful gifts are discovered in moments of tension rather than comfort. Comfort asks nothing of you. Challenge does. And when challenge appears, what rises first is not who you want to be but simply who you already are. Your natural abilities surface without permission.

If you’re honest, you’ll notice the pattern. I’m sure certain roles, certain experiences, and certain expectations have followed you for years. They follow you because you can fulfill them.

I’m sure people have come to you for specific things. They trust you with weight others cannot carry. They say, “You’re so good at this,” not realizing what they’re really saying is, this belongs to you.

And when you understand what you are naturally called to carry, you begin to see where your responsibility lies and where you are most needed.

It’s almost as if life keeps repeating the same demands until you finally step into your  position.

Recognizing your gifts is life-changing and fulfilling. And ignoring them will never bring you peace. 

You can distract yourself. You can downplay them. You can pretend they're ordinary. But beneath the surface there will always be friction. A quiet unrest. A sense that something in you is underused or withheld.

And ignoring the honor and responsibility to use them doesn't free you. It drains you. The energy it takes to suppress what you are capable of is far greater than the energy it takes to use it.

Life will make you feel incomplete when you refuse to stand where you belong.

Life didn’t give you a gift to just sit unopened, wrapped in doubt, humility, or fear of being seen. It was given because somewhere, someone, or something requires what only you can offer.

I'll leave you with this truth: No one can do what you do exactly how you do it.

So don’t die holding on to a gift that was meant to be given.
Step forward into your position.
Open your hands.
And give what only you can give.

Action:

Follow these steps in order.

1. Revisit the moments.
Return to situations throughout your life where something was required and you responded naturally.

2. List your gifts.
As you think through those moments, ask: What did I do? What did those people or situations require of me?Not your strengths. Your natural abilities.

3. Identify where you’ve withheld them.
Name the roles, relationships, or areas of life where you’ve held back to avoid responsibility.

4. Decide where they are used now.
Choose one clear area where your gifts are needed and will no longer be withheld.

5. Build structure around the decision.
Set standards, routines, and accountability so your use of the gift is consistent.

Take the Next Step:

If you’re ready to stop circling insight and start living in alignment, it’s time to put structure behind what you already know.

Apply for health and wellness coaching and build a framework that turns recognition into action.

And if you’re a man reading this, you can also step into The Intentional Man, an online men’s group built on discipline, standards, and accountability, not motivation.