Everyone has a gift!
Which gift is yours?
Not the kind that you wrap,
But the kind God adores.
You were born with a gift,
A talent that makes you unique.
It’s that thing you love to do,
Every day, minute and second of each week.
(Excerpt from The G3 in Me by… Yours Truly)
It took me almost half my life to discover my G3 (God Given Gift)… the gift of organizing. When I reflect upon my journey to this epiphany, I realize God was guiding me to this discovery beginning at a very early age… say hello to a late bloomer! Come to find out, not every 5 year old gets excited to clean their own bedroom, along with their friends’ bedrooms! Hmmmmmmm… Ever since I was little, I was drawn to movies and shows that involved a before and after transformation of any space. I was HGTV before HGTV was cool! While my mom accused me of hiding things when I cleaned up, I preferred to think of it as categorizing things. So after being a teacher and school administrator for almost 20 years, I turned 40 and went through my own HOPE metamorphosis… from a principal… to a professional organizer.
I once was a caterpillar, filled with ugly stress and feelings of despair. However, after emerging from my stress laden cocoon, I was free to fly with my brand new organizing wings! The freedom of discovering my G3 was priceless because once I discovered my purpose, I was immediately filled to the brim with JOY; ready to share my joy with others. It is beyond a blessing when you discover you are a blessing to others WHILE exercising your G3. Every day I organize a space is a “playday”, NOT a workday. I get paid to do what I love… pinch me! My God Given Gift is a present to my clients. Think about that… my gift IS a gift. I am able to be joyfully present WHILE being a gift to others. I get PAID to PLAY… each and every day! Priceless awesomeness!
God NEVER makes mistakes… He makes masterpieces. He transforms what we think is ordinary into something EXTRAordinary. I just LOVE that! I truly believe we become extraordinary when we surrender to His will for our lives; letting go of our own. If you had told me ten years ago that I would no longer be an educator, I would have been searching my cellphone for the crazy factory number! Never in my wildest dreams did I EVER see myself as a business owner, yet alone a professional organizer who owns a business. As a matter of fact, it took me almost nine months to transform my vision from Hope the administrator to Hope the organizer. You could say… I was born again… in my new role as organizer extraordinaire! It wasn’t an overnight transition, but a transition that took time and a whole LOT of surrendering to God’s will.
I didn’t really know how LOST I was until I FOUND my G3. I didn’t know complete joy until I discovered my gift. Imagine a person named HOPE who felt a bit… um… HOPEless. Ironic, I know, but true. I have said it before and will say it again… our God loves irony… primarily because irony punctuates our stories while enabling others to learn from our journey. Please God, I HOPE someone is learning from my story! (I digress.) Yes, I found my voice and complete joy through my gift… at 40 years old! It is true what “they” say about never being too old to learn. And, I have to say, I am in good company. Vera Wang didn’t open her first bridal boutique until she was… wait for it… 40! Harrison Ford didn’t land the coveted role of Hans Solo in Star Wars until he was 35 years old. Julia Child was just about 50 when she published her first cookbook while making her first television debut at 51. It doesn’t matter WHEN you find your gift… it only matters that you FIND it.
When you find your gift, you become whole and complete. The hole that you tried to fill for years is FINALLY filled with JOY. You beam with joy as you go to play every day. That’s right… play, not work. And… as you nestle into your gift and new identity, you soon begin to realize that your gift not only gives you joy, but provides joy to those around you. You develop a new awareness with an eternal perspective. You are able to see just a glimmer of what God sees. You realize your earthly gift has eternal goals; bringing others who experience your blessing closer to God. Your gift is NOT for your glory but for God’s glory. Your giftedness has divine purposeness (I know purposeness isn’t a word but I couldn’t resist! When it’s your blog, you have blogger rights. Okay, I may have made that up too!)
I LOVE this quote by Adela Rogers St. Johns: “Joy seems to me a step beyond happiness. Happiness is a sort of atmosphere you can live in sometimes where you’re lucky. Joy is a light that fills you with hope and faith and love.” I couldn’t have said it better myself Adela! Happiness comes from external situations and circumstances, while joy is from within. When the world is falling apart, (hello 2020!) your joy is grounded in God, along with your faith and HOPE in Him. Joy is a light that comes from deep WITHIN you to be shared with those AROUND you. Working through your God Given Gift enables your light to be a present and a blessing to others. There is NO better feeling than doing what you love WHILE blessing others. Trust me!
Give yourself a gift by taking the time to find your G3. Get quiet with God and allow Him to guide you on your own G3 journey. Imagine the life of your dreams; doing the thing you were born to do. You will NOT be sorry. You will NOT be discouraged. You will NOT be depressed. You WILL be elated. You WILL be full of joy. You WILL be inspired to share your gift with others. You will NEVER be the same! Find your gift while giving God the glory through it. It doesn’t matter if you are 20, 40, 60 or 80! You are NEVER too old (or young) to be a blessing to others while filling your soul with joy and… HOPE!
God created you thoughtfully,
You were born for a reason.
Your gift is for God’s goals,
No matter what time or season.
Your gift is why you have life,
No one is designed quite like you.
You are wonderfully unique,
What is the G3 inside you?
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