When We Stop Opening… and When God Says Pause
The Gift Isn’t The Point – Blog Series Part 3
If salvation isn’t a shelf decoration… and if there is more inside what God has already given us… then why do we stop opening it?
Most of us didn’t stop out of rebellion.
We stopped out of weariness.
Life got heavy.
And when life gets heavy, we start conserving energy… even spiritually.
“I’ll pray when things calm down.”
“I’ll serve again when I feel stronger.”
“I’ll trust God with that once I heal a little more.”
Waiting sounds wise… but over time, waiting turns into withdrawing.
One reason we stop opening the gift is fear.
Fear of being disappointed again.
Fear of stepping out and failing.
Fear of being seen… and misunderstood.
Fear dresses itself up like wisdom.
“I’m just being careful.”
“I’m protecting my heart.”
But when fear leads… obedience always lags.
Another reason is comparison.
We look around and think,
“Someone else does this better.”
“They were clearly made for this.”
So we quietly set our gift down.
But God never asked you to steward someone else’s gift.
He entrusted you with yours.
Then there’s exhaustion.
Real exhaustion.
Some of you didn’t stop because you stopped loving God.
You stopped because you were depleted.
Here’s the lie exhaustion whispers…
“If I re-engage, I’ll lose myself.”
But when God invites you to open the gift again, He isn’t asking you to bleed.
He’s inviting you to receive.
And sometimes… the reason is disappointment.
With people.
With leaders.
With churches.
You didn’t stop believing.
You just stopped risking.
Scripture tells of a servant who buried his talent.
Not because he rebelled…
but because he was afraid.
Fear-based obedience is still disobedience…
because it keeps us from trusting the heart of the Giver.
Paul tells Timothy, “Do not neglect the gift you have.”
Not reject it.
Not abandon it.
Neglect it.
You can love God… and still slowly stop engaging what He’s given you.
And yet… sometimes God Himself says, “Pause.”
Not because the gift was wrong.
Not because the season was wasted.
But because He is doing something deeper.
I’m living in that tension right now.
God reminded me of the value of the gift He placed inside me… and in the same breath, asked me to lay it down for a season.
That’s the difference between fearful stopping and faithful pausing.
Pausing doesn’t mean the gift is gone. It means God is teaching you how to carry it without letting it carry you.
Worship isn’t confined to a piano or a platform. Worship is obedience when no one is watching.
When we surrender a gift, God doesn’t take it away.
He transforms it.
Refines it.
Resurrects it in time.
Because the gift was never meant to end with you.
It was meant to flow through you.
The greatest gift God offers us… is Himself.
And every other gift makes sense when it flows from that place.
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