40 Acts of Lent: Day 11 - Talented

Act 11: Talented
Many of us are hiding talents up our sleeves, out of fear, vulnerability, or just not knowing how to use them. It's a massive shame and a missed opportunity. So treat today as a second chance, and bring your lamp out from under that bushel.

“Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don’t stare at the clouds. 

Get on with your life…you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.”  Ecclesiastes 11:4–5

Your thought for today: 
We have a saying at church: ‘All we need to reach the city is already in the house’. It’s another way of saying God gives us skills and talents to fulfill the purpose and vision he has for our lives.
We are diverse and so are our skills.

Nearly three years ago five friends got together with one idea: a bakery that, through workshops, would provide baking and employability skills to women who have experienced exploitation. We had no experience of running a business, a charity or working with women who have been through such a lot. All our team worked full-time, or had small children, which meant nothing happened quickly, yet we had the commitment and drive to make it happen. We each brought with us unique talents: finance, logistics, marketing, education, communication, leadership. I sometimes wonder whether those talents would have been unearthed through friendship alone. I’ve imagined God watching us meet as friends for the first time and thinking
‘Just you wait to see what adventure I will take you on’.

As we reached the end of this first season of Bramber Bakehouse I found myself reflecting on our journey. Despite too often focusing on the difficulties, meeting the ladies we support for the first time was incredibly overwhelming and a real high point. That’s when I realised that God had always seen this moment.

Whether God has given you a vast vision or a smaller one, He will bring together the right people with the perfect skills to fulfill his plans. It will take hard work and many hours of commitment, but God doesn’t just want you to just sit there and let someone else do it, or worse, let it not happen at all. In Ecclesiastes it says ‘Don’t sit there watching the wind. Do your own work. Don’t stare at the clouds. Get on with your life … you’ll never understand the mystery at work in all that God does.’ I truly believe God gave us our own work to get on with; it was clear he had brought together a group of people with extraordinary skills to make it happen, but the success of Bramber Bakehouse was each one of them playing their part.

Six months on from our first workshop (a huge triumph) I am so thankful to God that the drive and determination of our team meant we didn’t ‘sit on our hands’ but instead got on with it and didn’t worry about understanding the mystery of what was in front of us because quite simply ‘God does’.

Choose how you’ll complete today’s act: 

Think back to day one of 40acts. Search the list for any particular gifts or talents that you jotted down. Bring them to the front of your mind. Stick them on a Post-it note and leave them somewhere you'll notice early in the morning; then actively look for places to cultivate your gift.
 
Many of us start developing our talents, but never make full use of them. What gift do you have that could be used to serve others, but needs honing? Do you need some help from others to get it off the ground? Do you need to practise or research? Take the steps you need to own your talent and tell someone about it.

If you're already doing a solid job of looking after your gifts, could you pass them on? Could you offer your talents as a regular commitment to someone – or teach them and equip them to do the same?


Hollin Preston is the co-founder of Bramber Bakehouse, a charity set up to give exploited women second chances, by providing internships, training and support through baking to help them get back on their feet. Hollin is a full-time teacher, lives by the sea and has a Spanish cat called Pedro.