Brave Woman, Mighty GodSample

Use Your Gifts
“Hold your head up,” my friend Juiquetta, who owns a local barber shop, instructs customers as she trims around their ears. Later, she insists over the hum of her electric shears, “Sit up. You’re a son of the King.”
Slumped-over middle schoolers, exhausted firefighters, dads, professors, construction workers, and lawyers seem to grow a few inches taller in her swiveling seat as they consider that they are royalty.
Juiquetta talks openly about her faith with her customers, even reading Scripture and praying with those who are intrigued by the God and King she talks about. Juiquetta uses the gifts God gave her—scissors, a chair, an artist’s eye—and shines her light for all to see.
So does my friend Beth, who teaches creativity at a public university. She helps students think outside the box, helps them see in color what they’ve only been seeing in black and white. Beth has grown a community of college girls who she reminds of their value and challenges them to be brave, pursue their dreams, and not let anything stop them.
God made Beth creative, intelligent, and a gifted teacher. Her work in the classroom is like a prism, taking Christ’s light, shining it through herself, and letting those beams of the rainbow spread outward in an immeasurable ripple effect.
Juiquetta and Beth are doing “secular” work, meaning they don’t work for a church or a ministry. But I promise these women are shining Christ’s light right where they are and using the gifts God gave them.
You can do this too. You are the light of the world. Ready to shine?
You don’t have to have all the pieces figured out or a ton of background knowledge. God will empower you to shine His light. He will charge you up and make you bright. You just need to step onto the hill where He’s called you, use the gifts He’s already given you, and shine and radiate His love.
God lit a flame inside a woman named Lydia who was just doing her own thing, and she shined it so brightly.
Lydia attended weekly prayer meetings where she sought God. Paul, Luke, and Silas stopped by this gathering to tell the people worshipping God about Jesus. Lydia heard the good news that Jesus nailed our sins to the cross, rose from the dead, and that she, along with all of God’s children (that’s you and me), could be in a close, loving relationship with Jesus forevermore.
Lydia was so thrilled she got baptized as a public declaration of her faith. As a member of a textile guild and an influencer in her community, people took note of what Lydia did. When she shared Jesus’s open invitation for everyone to join God’s kingdom, the entire household she managed also got baptized. Lydia didn’t have formal training in theology, a job at a synagogue, or any previous knowledge about Jesus. But those weren’t hindrances, because God gifted Lydia a lucrative business and the savvy that enabled her to grow and maintain that business, which enabled her to afford a large home where she could house lots of people and host guests, like Paul and Silas and soon start a house church. Lydia exemplifies how when we seek God, He can and will use the gifts He’s given us in our existing spheres of life to add vibrancy to the world.
The Message translation of Jesus teaching us to shine our lights says: “Here’s another way to put it: You’re here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world” (Matthew 5:14 MSG).
God-colors? I’m guessing they’re magnificent, more vibrant than a bright red strawberry or a vivid yellow goldfinch. God-colors are breathtaking. Bringing out those in our world? It’s noble work.
Lydia was known as “a dealer in purple cloth.” The plants that made purple dye were hard to come by, expensive. Lydia made this bright cloth, adding splashes of a rarely seen color into the world, opening the eyes to those around her to possibilities they’d never dreamed of before. Yes, possibilities of purples, unseen, God-colors, but also possibilities of love unfathomed, God’s perfect love.
God also empowers you and me to bring out the God-colors of the world. Yes, us. Right where we are. He gifts us everything we need and makes us brave enough to use those gifts.
So what gifts has God given you? What are you good at? What resources do you have? What stage of life are you in? Where does God have you in this season? You have gifts from God and access to people who could use a prayer, or a positive voice in their lives, a reminder that God loves them, or maybe a hug. People who feel stark or gray who you can help see the God-colors within and around them.
Don’t worry about what you’ll say or how to use your gifts. Our mighty God is with you whether you’re in the chair or cutting the hair, teaching, or taking the class. God has given you the gifts you need and the bravery and ability to use them. And He’s asking you, like Lydia, Juiquetta, and Beth, to stand up and bring out the God-colors of this world.
Reflection:
Let’s do a little self- assessment:
- Where do you go on a regular basis?
- Who do you encounter there?
- What are some skills or talents God has given you? Are you a
good listener, great at strategizing, creative, a master of details,
or do you have a way with children?
- What are some resources God has given you? Do you have a
car that could provide transportation, a video camera, a home
where you can host others, a lawn mower, toys your kids have
outgrown, baking pans?
Brainstorm two ways you can use the gifts God has given you to shine Christ’s light to someone you’ll encounter in the next week. Be inspired by Lydia and how she took what she had and used it to grow God’s kingdom.
Take time to journal how those encounters went.
This devotional is adapted from Laura L. Smith’s book, Brave Woman, Mighty God: 30 Things You Can Do, Kregel Publishing, copyright 2025
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About this Plan

The bravery to live a life worth living doesn’t come from following five easy steps, reading a book, or redecorating your house. You get your power, joy, purpose, self-worth, and the bravery to live it all out directly from Jesus. Through the stories of the women of the Bible, we see that God can be encountered no matter who you are, what your status is, or where you live. Whether you're tackling huge obstacles or just going about your day-to-day, Jesus equips and encourages you to do incredible things for your good and His glory.
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We would like to thank Laura L. Smith for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: https://www.laurasmithauthor.com/









