Better Than We Thought: Recognizing the Gift
This post is part of a short series called Better Than We Thought, flowing out of a recent message I shared at my home church. The heartbeat of this series is simple: often, what God has already given us—faith, calling, formation, even Christ Himself—is deeper, stronger, and more formative than we initially recognize. These reflections are an invitation to slow down, deepen our roots, and learn to see more clearly the work God is already doing in us.
We don’t always recognize the full value of a gift at the moment we receive it.
Sometimes it’s weeks later.
Sometimes months.
Sometimes years.
What once felt ordinary slowly reveals itself to be far better than we expected—not because the gift changed, but because our understanding of it did.
I think the same is often true of the gifts God places in our lives.
Faith.
Calling.
Formation.
Even Christ Himself.
In Ephesians 3, the apostle Paul prays for people who already know Jesus. These aren’t skeptics or new believers. They are faithful followers of Christ. And yet Paul doesn’t pray for changed circumstances, clearer direction, or better outcomes.
He prays for capacity.
That they would be rooted deeply enough to grasp how wide and long and high and deep the love of Christ really is. Paul assumes something important: the fullness of Christ is already present. The issue isn’t access—it’s depth.
Roots matter.
They grow slowly.
They are mostly unseen.
They determine what a life can sustain.
Much of our frustration in the life of faith doesn’t come from God withholding something. It comes from our limited capacity to recognize what He is already doing. We want clarity without formation. Impact without depth. Fruit without roots.
But God is patient.
He is not in a hurry to produce something impressive. He is committed to growing something lasting.
Here’s the truth that keeps surfacing for me:
God is doing more in you than you currently have the capacity to recognize.
That’s not discouraging—it’s hopeful. What feels small, unfinished, or underdeveloped may actually be an invitation to deeper roots, not greater effort.
What if the gifts God has already given you are better than you think they are?
What if faith is deeper than you’ve experienced so far?
What if Jesus is better than you thought?
Better Than We Thought is a series shaped by a simple conviction: God is often doing more in us than we currently have the capacity to recognize. Over the coming posts, we’ll continue to explore how gifts are discovered, how roots are formed, and how faith deepens over time. If you’d like to hear the full message that gave shape to these reflections, you can watch it here.
