Maximizing Our Gifts and Abilities

The 2025 Masters Tournament officially teed off on Thursday, with England's Justin Rose giving himself an early three-shot lead by firing an opening round 65. Rose played his way to the lead mainly because he required only 22 putts to complete his first round at historic Augusta National.

Defending champion Scottie Scheffler finished Thursday's round in a tie for second place, potentially putting himself in a good position to pick up a third Green Jacket.

Other notable first-round performances included Bryson DeChambeau, who is tied for fifth after carding a three-under performance, and Rory McIlroy, who currently sits seven shots back as he continues to pursue his first win at the Masters.

But one of the best feel-good stories of the opening round of action was given to us by 65-year-old Fred Couples, who became the second oldest player ever to break par at the Masters, shooting an opening round 69 to place himself near the top of the leaderboard. After draining a shot from 191 yards out for an eagle, he also ignited the patrons.

Following his strong opening round, Couples commented to the media, "I can play golf. I can play around here. If the weather is like this and not hard, I can -- as long as I don't do crazy things -- I can shoot 73 or 4 or 5. That's not embarrassing myself at all."

One of the things that is to be appreciated about Couples' comments is that he understands his abilities at this point in his career. He still believes he can play good golf, but Couples also understands that it will not consistently be at the level it once was (when he won the Masters in 1992).

For some golfers, it is difficult to keep playing at prominent tournaments when they get older (if they have the chance to do so) because they feel embarrassed or ashamed about the decline in play that has been brought about because of their aging. Their competitiveness often makes it hard for them to accept that they will no longer be as formidable as they were in their prime.

Couples, however, indicated that he is not embarrassed by the fact that he is unlikely to remain competitive through four rounds of action. He understands his abilities at this point in his career and is satisfied with maximizing his skills without worrying about how he looks compared to everyone else.

There is a tremendous application to be made from the attitude that Couples is displaying regarding how we view and utilize the gifts that God has given us in our walk with Him.

Because we can be prone to compare ourselves with others, it is not uncommon to feel ashamed or embarrassed about a perceived lack of abilities or giftedness in particular areas. This embarrassment can then cause us to no longer even attempt to use whatever level of gift we have because we fear how others might perceive it.

Other times, we look at people we think are more gifted than us, and we begin to believe that our gifts might not be as beneficial, ultimately deciding not to get involved in serving.

As followers of Jesus, we must remember that both the gifts that we have and the level to which we have them have been intentionally given to us by God. The Lord is not expecting us to be the most gifted necessarily or have the most extraordinary abilities in particular areas. Instead, He expects us to be faithful with whatever level of gifting He has given us.

Romans 12:6 (NLT) highlights this point by saying, "In His grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you."

There is an acknowledgment in this verse that God has given people different gifts and levels of those gifts. Even when we don't feel as gifted as others in a particular area, we still bring glory to God when we are faithful to use whatever level we have.

The same principle applies to giving in 2 Corinthians 8:12 (ESV) when Paul writes, "For if the readiness is there, it is acceptable according to what a person has, not according to what he does not have."

Again, God is not as concerned about how much a person is giving as He is with how faithful a person is in stewarding the resources He has graciously given to them.

Today, let's assess whether we have been holding back in particular areas because we feel embarrassed or ashamed about our perceived abilities. Rather than being moved to inaction, let’s resolve to use God's gifts to the maximum level so He might be glorified in our faithfulness.

I'm Matt Osborne, and you can UNPACK that!

PRAYER: Heavenly Father, thank you for giving me spiritual gifts that I can use to serve You and others. Please help me not compare myself with others, and give me strength to be faithful to what You entrusted me. May it all be for Your glory. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen.