When I was in high school I tried very hard to be included. I tried out for many different activities, but always seemed to be the one sitting on the bench or not chosen. It made me feel rejected, stupid and worthless. I wanted to be a great basketball player or cheerleader, but it didn't happen. Because of this rejection, I carried a sense of worthlessness into my adult life. I was afraid to volunteer for things because I felt I had nothing to offer. I feared that I would only mess up and embarrass myself. It was easier not to try.

While many of us lament that we have little or no talent, that we possess no "gifts" or special abilities, there are others with much greater handicaps who are simply doing. Take Mary Clough, for instance.

Mary has Down's syndrome. But despite her limitations, Mary contributes. According to Steve Goodier's Newsletter at http://www.bestinspiration.com, she is a volunteer teacher at the school she attended many years ago. Mary works with 2- and 3-year-olds, some with Down's syndrome and some without. Among other tasks, she helps with puzzles, reads stories and teaches the kids a variety of athletic activities. "We care about little kids here," she says. "We set examples for them."

Mary uses her knowledge and experiences to serve others. She makes a difference in the lives of others. How can we become more like Mary and avoid the self-pity trap that Satan wants us all to fall into? How can we get past the attitude that we have nothing to offer?

Ask God to give you talents

After much frustration and feeling that I had nothing to offer, I decided to do something about it. I got on my knees and asked God to give me talents that I could use to help others. He answered that prayer in ways greater than I could even imagine! The doors blew open and I was able to do things that I never thought possible.

God gave me talents to use for His glory. I went from helping out with potlucks to organizing them. I was given the opportunity to organize fund raisers and a teen magazine. I went from someone who felt she had nothing to offer to someone who had much to give. Why? Because I asked God. Does God answer our prayers? Yes! But we have to ask.

John 14:13-14 says, "And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." We also read in Luke 11:11, "If a son asks for bread from any father among you, will he give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent instead of a fish?"

God wants to give us things that are good for us that we can use to help others. We must first ask, but is this all we are required to do? Do we just ask God and then wait for God to magically present us with talents? No! We have to take action, in faith, knowing that God will help us.

Action develops talents

David, who later became king of Israel, had courage to act when everyone else was too fearful to fight Goliath. He asked God in prayer to help him, and then he faced a giant. Each of us has our own Goliaths to face. Mine were feelings of inferiority and worthlessness.

But no one is worthless. In Ephesians 2:10 God tells us, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." As King David did, I first asked God to give me talents to use for His glory. Then I had to step out in faith and act. Faith without works is dead! Ask and then act. The more you take part in serving and giving of yourself, the more you will develop new talents. The parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30 clearly shows how one servant, out of fear, hid the one talent that he had instead of developing it. By using the talents they had been given, the other two servants actually doubled them.

Never give up!

He failed as a businessman and as a storekeeper, and he failed at his first attempt to obtain a political office. When finally elected to the legislature, he failed when he sought the office of speaker. He failed in his first attempt to go to Congress. He failed when he sought the appointment to the United States Land Office. He failed when he ran for the United States Senate. He failed when friends sought for him the nomination for the vice-presidency in 1856.

"...He'll never come to much, fur I'll tell you he wuz the puniest, cryin'est little youngster I ever saw," said Dennis Hanks, a first cousin of Nancy Hanks Lincoln, on the day Abraham Lincoln was born. But Abraham Lincoln kept on going through all his setbacks, through all the negative words. What amazes Lincoln buffs was his capacity for growth and his intellectual resourcefulness, given the obstacles and miseries he had experienced during most of his life. Lincoln had a lot to offer and did great things, in spite of his many failures. If Lincoln had given in to feelings that "he had nothing to offer," the course of history would have been completely changed.

One of Lincoln's famous quotes tells the secret of his success: "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go. My own wisdom and that of all about me seemed insufficient for that day" (Lincoln Observed: The Civil War Dispatches of Noah Brooks edited by Michael Burlingam, Johns Hopkins University Press, Baltimore, 1998, p. 210).

We, too, will face failures in our efforts to use our abilities. We'll hear discouraging words from others. But if we, like Lincoln, seek God's help for our inadequacies, we will also be able to do great things for Him.

Part of God's work is to prepare His people for works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up. "And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ" (Ephesians 4:11-12). It is God's intention and desire that we be able to serve.

So how can we get beyond these fears of inferiority and begin to discover and develop talents for the use of others? First, ask God to give you talents. Then begin to look around for needs and act.

Sign lists to help. Let it be known that you would like to help. People cannot read your mind. Many times they are not even aware that you want to help. Remember, you will make mistakes; just get up and try, try again. The most successful people are those who did not give up when failures knocked them down.

Keep doing! You learn from experience. The more you do, the more you will develop the talents that can be used for God's glory.

Remember the story of Mary Clough with Down's syndrome? She did not use her handicap as an excuse to say, "I have nothing to offer." We all have plenty to offer. The needs are great in your church, your school and your community.

You can begin to discover talents that you never thought you had, by asking God, by taking action and not quitting! Abe Lincoln, King David and Mary Clough had a lot to offer. So do you and I.