Have you ever had a dream that you thought was unattainable? That hasn’t stopped this woman. My guest today, Nancy Gavilanes, doubted herself and maybe even God a bit, and she still chose to believe in her God-given dreams to become the woman he had created. It’s a grace to share this beautiful inspiration and wisdom about developing your spiritual gifts today. It’s a joy to welcome Nancy to the farm’s table today…

Guest Post by Nancy Gavilanes

This is for you to write things down,” my mom said as she handed my older sister and me our new diaries.

I was eight years old, and I was enthralled by the pretty notebook with pink pages and hearts all over the cover.

I didn’t know what I’d write in this special book, but I couldn’t wait to get started.

Private and introverted me welcomed having a space where I could jot down whatever random thoughts or experiences I was having. I thought everyone wrote about their daily lives.

I continued to journal my thoughts in notebook after notebook. Writing became second nature to me.

My parents made sure I had scores of books to read and plenty of paper and pens on hand. They encouraged me to hone my writing skills, and they delighted in celebrating even my earliest published articles in high school, college, and local newspapers.

My dear late dad, who was from Ecuador, and my precious mom, who is from Central America, both ran successful small businesses in New York. They modeled and instilled in my sister and me the value of working hard to achieve your goals.

“I had reached my goals and had gotten myself as far as I could, but I still wasn’t satisfied.“

As a native New Yorker, I grew up surrounded by vibrant Hispanic culture as well as a beautiful mosaic of other cultures. But as diverse as my city was, I wasn’t usually surrounded by many other Latina or Latino writers.

I’m glad that didn’t stop me from putting pen to paper.

When the time came to choose a college major, journalism seemed like the best fit.

I was the only Latina student in my journalism classes. I’m glad my professors treated me fairly. I did feel like the odd one out during our required internship, though, when journalism majors moved to another city for six months to write for a local paper. I was the only Latina in our small group.

After graduation, I worked at a prestigious newspaper as a news clerk and then started writing articles and book reviews for them. At my dad’s urging, I went to graduate school and got a master’s degree in journalism from New York University. I then worked at a women’s magazine in Times Square. All my journalism dreams were coming true.

Unfortunately, as my writing career soared, my walk with God suffered. I thought I had outgrown God, and I tried to put Him on a shelf.

I was making my plans and asking God to bless them.

Big mistake.

“I started to realize that God had created me with great love. Almighty God has a plan for my life. And God has a plan for your life too.“

One of my biggest career aspirations was to attend the Olympics as a reporter. I was ecstatic when I received the opportunity to travel to the Summer Games in Sydney, Australia, as a reporter and a spectator!

I had a lovely time there, but something wasn’t right. I had reached my goals and had gotten myself as far as I could, but I still wasn’t satisfied.

During my last full day there, I was by myself in Olympic Park, crying and still feeling empty.

I started to think about all that God had allowed me to accomplish in such a short time, even though I had been rebelling against Him. I felt overwhelmed by God’s amazing love and grace and mercy. I knew I didn’t deserve any of these blessings.

Right there in Olympic Park, I surrendered my life to God and dedicated myself to serving Him.

I started to realize that God had created me with great love. Almighty God has a plan for my life. And God has a plan for your life too.

If you’ve ever felt invisible, inadequate, or insecure, you’re not alone. Many people struggle to feel valuable and significant.

Many times, this stems from having a strained relationship with a parent or from having toxic people around us, especially during childhood. It could be compounded by harsh words or abusive actions from a spouse, a boss, or others.

“Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth—the One who made the sun, moon, and stars and created the splendid array of gorgeous flowers, spectacular sunrises and sunsets, and the breathtaking sea—delighted in creating each one of us.“

Society, peers, and circumstances may also make us think we’re not enough or we don’t have what it takes. We need to shatter those lies. Thoughts that you’ll never amount to anything, or you’re no good, or God could never love you are lies from the pit of hell.

The enemy wants to fool us into thinking we’re unloved, unworthy, or unwanted. He wants to steal, kill, and destroy our lives and rob us of our identity.

But the enemy is a liar and defeated!

God created us with extravagant love.

Almighty God, the Creator of heaven and earth—the One who made the sun, moon, and stars and created the splendid array of gorgeous flowers, spectacular sunrises and sunsets, and the breathtaking sea—delighted in creating each one of us.

In one of the very first verses in the Bible, we read: “God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them” (Genesis 1:27, NIV).

Even King David marveled at knowing we’re God’s creation. In Psalm 8 he wrote:

When I consider your heavens,

the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars,

which you have set in place,

“God didn’t make any mistakes when He created you. God designed you as He saw fit.“

what is mankind that you are mindful of them,

human beings that you care for them?

Psalm 8:3-4, NIV

The next time you see an exquisite sunset, sea, or flower, remember how lovely you are in God’s sight! You were created to worship Him. You were created to bring Him glory.

God didn’t make any mistakes when He created you.

He knew exactly where and when you would be born. He knew the shape of your nose and eyes, the color of your skin, your height, and even the funny way you would laugh. God designed you as He saw fit.

---

{Our humble thanks to NavPress for their partnership in today’s devotional.}