By William Daniel

Outside of writing, gymnastics is one of the activities I am involved in. In this recent gymnastics season, I decided that I would move up to the next level to compete harder skills. Through some prayer, I knew that God was rewarding me for my hard work. It was in that moment that God gave me the phrase: “I would rather touch my limits than wonder what they are.” This phrase has become something that I am going to live out. This phrase can be put anywhere in life. This is especially true in writing.

Writing is an expression of the talents God has given you. With the diversity of writing styles and genres, every set of God-given talents is applicable to writing. Where does the phrase come into this? Well, dear reader, in reaching our limits, we find all the gifts that God has given us on earth. To live a fulfilling life, it is best not to let any God-given talent go to waste. That is where the talents of writing come into this. To fulfill your writing experience, you should find every part of writing in which God has gifted you with talent. What can this look like? Experimenting.

Have you ever heard the phrase “can’t knock it until you try it”? While that statement can be used for bad, in this context, it can mean trying a certain genre or writing style. Of course, this doesn’t mean that you can’t write what you know you are already good at writing. It is simply an exploration of the gifts that God has given you. For example, God, working through my band directors, gave me the opportunity to play saxophone in my school’s upper-level band. The only thing was that I had to play the tenor saxophone, a different saxophone that I didn’t think I would like as much. Now, tenor sax is probably my favorite saxophone. I would have never known how much I liked it if I had never gotten the opportunity.

Finding a new writing style can be fun and develop your identity as a writer. That leads me to share that these opportunities to try new things, whether you realize it or not, will most likely be led by God. Being open to these new ideas is the best way for God to lead you on your talent scavenger hunt. If God puts a talent in your life, then he has a use for it even if it is not used right away. God honors this proactivity in finding talents.

Depending on your personality, trying new stuff can be fun. If something is not for you, then God will let you know. You can always trust him to guide you in the right direction. If you find something that is for you, then it will be obvious. If the subject you are exploring does not line up with God’s word, then it is not for you. Keep in mind that even if you are not good at something, God might still use you for it. God has the final say.

By not finding all that you are gifted in, it’s as if you have been given a free subscription to a service but never use it. Instead of wondering what services you have been gifted, you should go and find them. Overall, it is important that we find all of our talents to fulfill our purpose for writing and not wonder what it is that we are capable of creating.

William Daniel enjoys making people laugh. He is the author of You’re Joking Me: Jokes for Kids By a Kid, a Selah Award winner, that includes his original 500 puns, riddles, and knock knock jokes. He believes if kids can share a few jokes, it can help them make friends and ease conversations. He also co-wrote the devotions and all of the jokes in I Love You, Dad! Words to Honor and Humor You. He entertains others with his humor and music. Others have said that William is a deep soul who brings wisdom and maturity in what God has given him to share.