I was able to run faster than anybody my age. I competed against guys bigger and stronger than me and I would beat them. I was above the norm. I was a leader and out in front. I was a creator and an innovator even as a child.

At first, I attributed my gift of speed from racing against the dark, constantly sprinting past the graveyards on the way home, but I later learned it was from God. I also learned, the hard way, that you can’t depend upon physical talent or fame because all that stuff is fickle. One week you may be the hottest player in baseball or the most valuable player in the NFL, but the next week you can’t make a play if your life depended upon it. Anything you depend on for your meaning in life that takes you away from the real meaning in life – your one-on-one relationship with Christ – is fickle.

God gives us gifts in seed form, but it is up to us to work them through to fruition. I am who I am because I learned to use God’s gift. God doesn’t give us gifts to sit on or hold on to. He gives us gifts to use for His glory. That’s why we can’t ever take credit for our gift because God gave it to us and He can surely take it away. Unfortunately, many people spend more time focusing on the gifts that other people have instead of trying to discover their own. Kids, for instance, want to have my speed, or Michael Jordan’s slam dunk or even Tiger Woods’ mastery of golf. While we are all operating within our gifts, God has given each person their own measure of gift and that gift is distinctly yours. So, don’t be jealous or envious of someone else’s gift and stop trying to be like Mike or even Deion. Instead, find out what gift God gave you and tap into its power.

If you want to be effective for the Kingdom, you’ve got to find out what your gift is, and that process always begins with God. Go to God and say, "Father, why have You created me? What is distinctive about me?" God gives you what He knows you can handle. If God gives you a gift, He has already assessed that it’s within your power to work it to fruition and manage it.