The “One Thing”
Most of us find solace early in life in our quest for the one thing our designer created us for. However, as the years pass, we drift along, wondering why the one thing never materializes. We become envious of those who found their one thing early in their lives and stuck with it while the rest of us move from one challenge to another, unaware if we landed the one thing. We might even question why God has hidden the one thing from us. Why do some people find their one thing right away, and others are destined to seek out this mystery continually?
We should first distinguish between a talent and a spiritual gift. Talents are those unique or natural abilities one possesses to serve others in the secular world. These abilities are sometimes inherited or nurtured early in one’s life. Our vocation is the “trade” we engage in to use our talents. We can use our natural talents selfishly to serve ourselves or others. For instance, I have a talent for leadership and problem-solving. Early in my career, I was an engineer, my vocation, which allowed me to lead people and solve complex problems in the construction trade. Later, my focus shifted to financial planning. I use my unique talents of leadership and problem-solving to help people work through their financial issues. Spiritual gifts, on the other hand, are gifts every believer is given once they receive salvation after accepting Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. Spiritual gifts are those special abilities God gives us to serve Him and other Christians. These gifts are not natural talents but supernatural abilities bestowed on us by God. For instance, the gift of teaching, healing, comforting, prophesying, serving, leadership, and wisdom comes from God and is used to further His Kingdom.
The spiritual gift of teaching is my supernatural gift. I use this gift, not always in a classroom setting but in my writing, to serve fellow Christians. This article is one example of my spiritual gift.
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10, NIV).
Finding the one thing typically refers to one’s talents in a vocation. However, it could also be one’s spiritual gift. My wife has a vocational gift of teaching, but her spiritual gift is that of a comforter. She uses her biblical insights to reach out and comfort others. People often confuse talents with one’s vocation, like a doctor or lawyer. However, they could involve several different vocations. Your natural talents lie within the similarities of trades like mine of leadership and problem-solving. One of the best ways to ascertain your natural talents is to discover what all your past jobs have in common.
Often, we find people who only work within a specific trade their whole lives may lack relational skills. If we allow this one thing to consume us, it will eat away all our time, and we will miss out on life's many pleasures. This is not what God intended. Therefore, do not fret over the idea that the one thing never materialized for you. More than likely, the one thing was there all along, and you did not recognize it. Personality tests can be helpful to assist in discovering traits about yourself that you may not have identified. One of the most straightforward tests I found beneficial is the 5-minute personality test. I am attaching one below.
Remember, God equips us with both talents and spiritual gifts. It is best not to confuse the two. No skill is more important than the other. They are all related to God’s overall plan for us. Talents allow us to work and function in the secular world no matter the vocation, while spiritual abilities are skills God has provided to help further His Kingdom. We often label people’s importance by their position, their power, or the money they possess. This is a mistake. A good measuring tool is to ask yourself: will anybody like this be in heaven? Who will hold all the power? Will we need money or other stuff in Heaven? How about doctors, attorneys, or politicians? The only real question that holds significant importance to God is: what have I done to further His Kingdom?
For by the grace given me, I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, five so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully (Romans 12:3-8, NIV).
Your faithful Servant
