E08: How to find your talents and use them!

We almost always think of being talented in terms of being particularly good at sports, or art, or singing, or things like that. You might think you’re not talented at all. But did you know that everyone has talents? Join Milenko and Kathy in today’s episode of our podcast to hear a unique take on how to find your talents – and maximize them!

Transcript: “Living the Gospel” podcast, Episode 8: How to find your talents and use them!

This is ActiveChristianity’s “Living the Gospel” podcast. Join us as we explore different aspects of the gospel, according to the Bible, and how we can put it into practice in daily life.

Milenko: Hi everyone, welcome to Living the Gospel, on this Wednesday. I’m Milenko.

Kathy: And I’m Kathy, and today we’re going to talk about what it means to be talented. Just out of curiosity, Milenko, if you could have any talent, what would it be?

Milenko: I’d really like to be able to fly. Though that’s maybe more a superpower than a talent.

Kathy: Yeah …

Milenko: Actually, learning languages, I would love to be able to learn any language easily and quickly.

Kathy: Yeah, that would be amazing. That would be so cool, you could travel anywhere in the world and just be able to talk and hang out with the locals and go anywhere without any problems.

Milenko: And if you could fly it would be even better.

Kathy: Oh it would be amazing. Yes. So, you recently wrote an article for ActiveChristianity called “Discovering and maximizing the unique talents God has given me.”

Milenko: We’ve been thinking about parables recently at ActiveChristianity, and how they apply to our everyday lives. So, I thought about Jesus’ parable about the man who gave talents to his servants, and how those servants used the talents they received, and in this case the talents he gave were amounts of money. When we talk about talents, we often mean things that we’re particularly good at, something that we can do really well, but we can also think of talents in quite a different way.

Kathy: Yeah, I’ve read the article and actually, I’ve never thought of talents in the way you describe them here. So, It’s really interesting, it’s definitely a unique take. I think a lot of people actually think that they are not particularly talented. They can’t draw, or sing, or they’re not athletic, those kinds of things, right?

Milenko: Right.

Kathy: That’s what we think of when we think of talents, right? Like we think of being able to do something, sort of. But what would you say to those people?

Milenko: Well I’d tell them that everyone is talented. Because if you think about it like this, that talents can also be opportunities that God give us, that He wants a return for, I think a whole new world opens up.

Kathy: Right. So, another thing actually that came to mind for me when I first read the article was … And I’ve read this parable before, so I’m familiar with the parable, but I’ve never thought before about the fact that the man gave his servants vastly different amounts to look after actually. So, why do you think he did that?

Milenko: Yes, that’s actually quite interesting. Because when you see the reward, the reward was actually the same. So, it wasn’t the amount they’d been given that was important for the master, but what they had done with it. And I think this has got to do with God knowing us, exactly who we are, our circumstances, our personalities, what we can bear. And He gives what’s right for us.

Kathy: Yeah that’s interesting. So, it’s actually a reassurance that He’s never going to give us anything that we can’t deal with and we can’t bear, right?

Milenko: Exactly.

Kathy: And then I don’t need to look at someone else and think, “Well, they’ve got this and this and I only have this,” or, “Why do they only get that, but I have to deal with all of this,” right? But actually, I thought then of that verse in 1 Corinthians 10:13 that says: “No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Milenko: Right. So, we’re not tempted beyond what we can bear. It’s exactly right for us.

Kathy: And He knows us so well, that He knows exactly what to give us, and how much, and what we can deal with.

Milenko: So, how does that tie in with the talents? Maybe we can just listen to the article then.

(Click to read:)
Discovering and maximizing the unique talents that God has given me

Kathy: So, after listening to that I think it’s pretty clear that we all have talents when we think of it this way.

Milenko: Every one of us.

Kathy: And it’s cool how you talk about maximizing those talents. So, to use them to the absolute best advantage I can! What a great attitude to take concerning the various things that come my way in life. They’re not heavy and burdensome, but I can get so much out of them when I take them the right way. There’s so much potential!

Milenko: It makes life exciting. Then you can really see that this has eternal value for me. And what can I do? How can I do the best out of it?

Kathy: It’s a completely different way to look at those things, right?

Milenko: It really is, isn’t it?

Kathy: Well, that’s it for this episode of “Living the Gospel.” Thanks for joining us again today and I hope that you were as encouraged by this as I have been. Remember you can visit us at ActiveChristianity.org for more encouraging articles, and we’ll see you next week.

Milenko: Yep, bye!