Every human being is born unique and carries the signs of this individual identity. Our fingerprints are the most visible feature of our uniqueness. The name given by our parents, though it may be shared by others, also identifies us individually. However there is another sign that is an integral part of a person’s character, that though it only manifests later in life, is non-transferable and is with us from birth: talent.

God gives everyone a talent, and it is up to each person to identify, develop and use it. Many people make the mistake of not taking their talent into account when choosing the career they intend to pursue for the rest of life. It seems obvious to choose something that you like or do well, but unfortunately, most people prefer to consider other factors when choosing their careers.

Financial success and social climbing have been the targets of many young people when choosing a career. But they forget, or don’t take into consideration, that these factors are just the result of work that is done with quality, and that we can only do something well when we’re talented at it. Money and success are a consequence and not the cause. The cause is talent.

For talented people, the love of what they do is the explosive force behind their accomplishments. Their pleasure is to improve the quality of the work they do; they feel complete when they achieve what they want. Financial success is merely a consequence.

Every now and then the news reports about medical errors that destroy lives; engineering mistakes that jeopardize the safety of magnificent buildings; lawyers who promote injustice, and many other examples of tragedies caused by people who chose a profession because of money, without having any true talent to perform their jobs well.

Those that suppress a talent, reject God’s gift. Even if they achieve their much desired financial success, they feel permanently frustrated. They have their pockets full, but their souls are miserable. Many accept this situation, especially because society teaches us the big lie that work cannot be synonymous with pleasure, and that to do what we don’t like is the price we pay for achieving something in life.

A person who knows what talent he has should not pray and ask God whether or not it’s His will for his life. God would not have given us a talent if He didn’t want us to use it. But we should ask the Holy Spirit to guide us so we can use our talents to glorify God. If a person doesn’t know what talent God has given him, he should pray about it and ask the Lord to reveal it to him. A talent used without the guidance of the Holy Spirit can also lead us to spiritual and material destruction.

Because it is a divine gift, our talents should be dealt with in the spiritual realm. Having this in mind, we will seek the Kingdom of God first and everything else will be added to us (Luke 12:31).