He does not want you to be used by anyone, and He would never use you. Your gifts were given to you for the purpose of bringing joy to your life, not for the purpose of serving Him or furthering His cause.… He wants people to think highly of and respect you. He loves it when folks are drawn to you and when they are amazed at how gifted you are… Christians today have been trained to purposefully cover their light, rather than let them shine for all to see, for fear that God might get angry at how bright they are. How crazy is that?…
His purpose is for us to be His sons and daughters, and out of those relationships, we become the message.… What is the one thing all good parents want for their children? They want them to enjoy life.… God’s love is not concerned with what He can get; He’s concerned with what He can give.
Darin Hufford
The Misunderstood God, Windblown, 2009, 100-1.
GraceQuotes.com 
thanks, needed that today.
Your words have so spoken to my heart. I have read a sample of your book and plan on purchasing it. I grew up in the I.C. as well and still struggle with the teaching I received after 5 years of being outside the walls. I’ve been really thinking about what you said that we are the message. I have to tell you God is really reaching out to me through your words.
Thank you so much!