Thanksgiving was last week, and I believe I made the ugliest cake you may have ever seen.

The website touted this crockpot caramel cake as so easy and so delicious, that it had gone viral. 

Trust us, they said, YOU WANT THIS CAKE.

You can bet they weren’t talking about MY version.

From the strange oval shape, to the burned bottom I then had to saw off, to the cooling rack stripes now spanning the top from said sawing process, this was no Thanksgiving Day prize. 

But no time for a remake. 

I knew I had to put on my big girl boots and take that thing to the party.

With a glance at the clock, I quickly transferred it into my serving dish. 

It landed huddled to one side, as if it knew just how ugly it was. Poor little cake.

Still warm and fragile, I didn’t dare move it.

When I arrived at my sister’s home, I found an assortment of beautifully decorated desserts, many of which were handmade by the talented women in my family.

And then I presented her with mine.  Along with a warning of what she was about to see.

When I pulled back the cover, she burst into laughter.  And I laughed right along with her. 

Because it was so sad, it was funny.

I later caught all three of my sisters and a niece crowded around my monstrosity, giggling, and up to something very mischievous. 

Turns out that a powdered sugar handprint turkey and a little laughter is just the remedy for an ugly cake. 

Clearly, I did not inherit the Martha Stewart gene for making pretty food.

But that’s okay.  Because I have other gifts.  Other areas where I can shine.

And that’s just how God intended it.

Romans 12:6a tells us this:

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.

We can’t all excel at the same things. 

Our differences are what make our gifts, GIFTS.  They are different by design.

Some of us are given up-front, noticeable gifts, and some of us are called to work quietly in the background.

Each are equally important. 

Each gift valuable to the One from whom they came.

And not only has God chosen different gifts for us, he has also placed each of us just where he wants us so we can put them to use. 

1 Corinthians 12:18 tells us so.

This means that where you worship, where you work, the friends you do life with, the children you raise – these all provide opportunities for service.

For you to be used right where God has placed you.

The sad truth is, however, that regardless of how we are gifted, we often have moments of doubt.

Moments when we look at the gifts of others, and believe that theirs are better than ours.

Or that our gifts aren’t worthy.

We sometimes wish we had better gifts.  Or more noticeable ones.

And yet we are told that it is the helpful opportunities we should desire the most (1 Corinthians 12:31):

So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.

Not the shiniest ones.  Not the ones most seen, but the ones that are most useful for serving others and for honoring God in whatever way he calls you to.

These are often the quieter gifts.  Sometimes they are thankless acts of service.

But they are ones we could not live without.

If you have been blessed with quiet gifts, let me encourage you that these were just as carefully chosen for you as were the louder gifts given to some others. 

So to you who serve the forgotten elderly, who mop our floors, who pray fervently, who run our sound boards, who stock the church library, who rock the little ones to sleep while the preacher preaches – and to all of you who serve in many, many similar ways, I thank God for you. 

You have lofty gifts.  Ones the Savior adores.

And to you with the louder gifts, the up-front ones that teach and lead and guide, thank you also for your diligence. We need you at the helm.

Friend, let me encourage you to be thankful for your gifts. Both those that are quiet and those that are loud.

If you aren’t serving yet, now is the time to ask God what he has for you to do.  Where he wants to use you. 

What are your natural inclinations that could be used in service to God and to others?  How could you use these at church, at home, or in the workplace? 

If this isn’t clear to you, spend some time asking God to show you just that.

It’s time to find where you shine.

And then do so with joy as both a humble sacrifice, and as a gift for the Giver.