“Motivational speaker Danny Cox tells about a ‘Broom Hilda’ cartoon in which her naive, innocent little friend Irwin puts on a long-tailed formal tuxedo jacket, picks up a conductor’s baton and walks into the woods alone.

“Irwin steps up on a fallen tree trunk and begins to wave his arms as if to conduct. There are no musicians, only rocks, trees and flowers. Soon, musical notes pour from the rocks, trees and flowers and fill the panel.

“Finally, Irwin turns and confidently says to the reader, ‘It’s all in there; you just have to work at getting it out.’”²

Michelangelo, the great artist, said, “I saw the angel in the marble and chiseled until I set it free.” That, my friend, is what God wants to do for you and me. Every one of us has gifts, abilities, and talents that God wants us to see, develop, and use in some way (large or small) for the betterment of others and the enrichment of mankind. Remember that God has a place for you and what you have to offer—no matter how small or large your giftedness may be—in his work in your world. There are no exceptions to this rule!

As Irwin said, “It’s all in there. You just have to work at getting it out.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the gifts, abilities and talents you have given to me. Please help me to identify these, develop them and use them for serving you by helping others and therein help make my world a better place in which to live. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT).

2. Seize the Day by Danny Cox and John Hoover, Career Press, Hawthorne, N.J., 1994, p. 81.