STRONG, GIFTED, UNIQUE!

If you are reading this, chances are I don’t actually know you, i.e. we’ve never shaken hands, never talked face-to-face. But still, I feel like I know you. While I may not know you, I do know some things about you. You probably know these things about you, too. It’s just… sometimes, they’re easy to forget.

You are stronger than you think you are. It’s true. When you get tired and run down, it’s easy to lose sight of this. It’s easy to think you’re weak and you don’t have what it takes. But that’s not true. You are stronger than you think you are.

The first time I learned this about myself was when I jogged for two (2) hours straight some few months ago. It was a completely illogical decision. I have barely jogged more than twenty (20) minutes in the last five (5) to seven (7) years. But someone threw out the suggestion, and in the heat of the moment it seemed kind of glamorous and totally fascinating. And of course, I wanted to be glamorous and fascinating.

But instead of making me feel that way, doing that jog made me feel like I was completely unfit for such a task. I would look at the duration of time and length of the route I set out to complete and think, “there is no way I could possibly go that far,” or I’d see people who had come out for their regular exercise fly past me while I was jogging, and I would think to myself; “you’re so fat now, and can barely run. Oyiwodu, you can’t even breath and you’re barely thirty (30) minutes gone”.

My thoughts were everywhere. And as I watched others stream past me like gazelles in the wild, I clomped along like a Clydesdale, wondering whether I was going to make it at all – boy, was I exhausted already!

In less than an hour of jogging, when I was quite certain that the cramping in my legs would prevent me from finishing, all I could do was whisper to myself: “You’re stronger than you think you are”. And you know what? That’s right, cos I did complete the race in two (2) hours without stopping for a break! And if I was right about me then, chances are I’m right about you now.

You’re stronger than you think you are. Even when you’re out of hair. Even when you feel like a mess. Even when it seems like everyone else has it more “together” than you do. And I dare to say; especially in those moments. You’re stronger than you think you are.

You belong. Yes, you do. It might not seem like you have a place to belong or that you belong where you are, but you do. Sometimes we have to uncover our space, or discover it, or carve it out; which can be tricky to do without stepping on the toes of others, without accidentally taking up someone else’s space. When we occupy the space another was designed to occupy, we miss the peace of fitting in our own space, the one that was designed uniquely for us.

It’s a balancing act. But there is room for you. In life, in your career, in your family, in your church, in your community.

You just have to find it. You don’t have to fight for it, you don’t have to be sly about it, you don’t have to compete for it. It’s already yours. You own it. You just have to discover where it is and live into it as you grow into the most beautiful version of yourself. It won’t always be comfortable or easy, but do stop fighting to prove you belong. Infact, there is nothing to prove. You belong.

You are incredibly, uniquely gifted. You’d be amazed the things you can do - sing, write, build, create, draw, act, counsel, serve, love, cultivate, captivate, grow and be kind. What’s even more amazing is that you can do these things in such a way that no one else can, no one. What you do is beautiful, absolutely beautiful.

You are incredibly, uniquely gifted. It is so easy to forget this, isn’t it? It is so easy for our gifts to become an old hat. If I could have any talent in the world, if I were just picking, I wish I were eloquent. In fact, sometimes, when I’m home by myself, I open my mouth and pretend like what happens next is anything remotely resembling eloquence. But it’s not, really (take my word for it).

I know I am gifted in other ways and indeed, we all are. But it’s just so easy to think someone else’s gifts are more glamorous, more useful or even more exciting than ours.

To be clear, I don’t ever plan to stop speaking when I’m alone (I might even keep pretending it sounds good…lol) but I do plan to stop wishing away my gifts and to stop assuming someone else’s gifts are more impressive than mine.

You are uniquely and incredibly gifted. Yes, You. Take every chance to serve people, and to celebrate the gifts of others. Instead of resenting your gifts or wishing you had different ones, invest completely and wholeheartedly in the ones you’ve been given. 

Embrace opportunities. Grow your talent. Master your craft. Bloom!