Thank you for posting this today. There is such truth in what you are saying and we often forget that we have the same ability to speak to God that the so called professionals have. If only, we would listen to God's voice and not the voice of those who think they are his chosen, select spokes-people. 
I love this, "I don’t think he’s a God of amputations." 
The same God who created us with all of our giftings and talents would not then decide to strip or cut off the very things be gave to us to fit the "ideal" of who people think we should be, but like you said, sometimes we need to be softened and smoothed to be used.