Could Your Gift Become Dangerous Without Mature Character?
Updated: Sep 9
A fellow missionary from England keeps an aquarium filled with beautiful fish. One day, I asked whether he had a Siamese fighting fish. Surprised by my question, he explained that he wanted to keep several fish together, so he had decided against adding a male betta.
Male betta fish are admired for their brilliant colours and flowing fins, yet they are also intensely territorial. When two males occupy the same confined space, their striking beauty can quickly become overshadowed by aggression.
Our conversation reminded me that beauty and giftedness alone do not determine how someone will affect the people around them. A gift can bring life, but without mature character, it can also become entangled with competition, jealousy, control, or the need for recognition.
It also brought to mind the words of the prophet Habakkuk. While wrestling with God over Babylon’s violent oppression of Judah, Habakkuk compared vulnerable people to fish without leadership or protection:“
You have made mankind like the fish in the sea, like marine creatures that have no ruler.”—Habakkuk 1:14
Habakkuk struggled to understand why a righteous and sovereign God allowed violent people to overpower others. As he brought his questions honestly before God, his perspective gradually changed. He did not receive a simple explanation, but he learned to trust God while waiting for justice.
Today, I invite you to explore another biblical story involving gifts, vulnerability, and struggles for power: the life of Joseph in Genesis 37–50.
When Gifts Attract Unwanted Attention
Joseph was the younger brother who received an ornate robe from his father, Jacob. The robe was a visible expression of Jacob’s special affection, but it also exposed the unhealthy favouritism already present within the family.
Joseph then shared dreams suggesting that his family would one day bow before him. Scripture does not tell us why he shared them. Perhaps he was excited, unaware of how his words would affect his brothers, or still too young to carry such a significant revelation wisely.
Whatever his motivation, his brothers responded with growing jealousy and hatred.
Throughout Joseph’s story, different people attempt to gain or maintain control. Jacob displays favouritism. Joseph’s brothers use deception and violence. Traders sell Joseph into slavery. Potiphar’s wife uses accusation and manipulation. Again and again, Joseph becomes caught in other people’s struggles for power.
Yet God continues working beneath the surface. Joseph’s gifts are genuine, but they are not yet fully developed. Before those gifts can serve others, God shapes the character of the person carrying them. Through hardship, responsibility, waiting, and injustice, Joseph learns wisdom, restraint, perseverance, and dependence upon God.
Gifts Are Given to Serve
Perhaps you are also beginning to recognize the beautiful colours God has woven into your personality. Your creativity, compassion, leadership, discernment, hospitality, or ability to encourage others may be becoming more visible.
These gifts are expressions of grace, but they do not make us more valuable than anyone else. God does not give gifts so that we can dominate, impress, or compete with others. He gives them so that we can serve and produce fruit that brings life to the people around us.
Visible gifts may sometimes attract unwanted attention, comparison, misunderstanding, or jealousy. They may also tempt us to seek recognition or control.
That is why giftedness must grow alongside character.
As you reflect on Joseph’s story this week, consider these questions:
Which gifts has God placed within you?
How are you currently using them?
Are they helping you serve others, or drawing you into competition?
What areas of your character might God be developing so that you can carry your gifts wisely?
Your Heavenly Father delights in who He created you to be. He understands both the beauty of your gifts and the maturity required to carry them well. As you surrender your abilities to Him, He can teach you when to speak, when to remain silent, how to respond to opposition, and how to make decisions that produce good fruit.
The goal is not simply to become more gifted. It is to become mature enough to carry our gifts in a way that brings life to others.
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