The title of this post makes me sound greedy, huh? This isn’t about how, as kids, we’d grab gifts from under the Christmas tree, tearing into them without waiting for mom or dad to have the camera ready or at our birthday inviting tons of kids so we could unwrap more gifts. Hopefully, I wasn’t the only to do that.
The title came from me wondering, what does it mean to use our gifts and talents for God? Does it matter if we use our talents for God? Some of us ask, do I even have talent? Or would I be like one of the contestants on God’s reality show of life getting laughed off stage because I think I have gifts in one area only to realize I stink at it?
Last Friday my daughter tried out for the talent show in her middle school. Gone are the days of everyone making it to the talent show. When I picked her up, she told me she nailed the tryout. We found out on Monday that she wasn’t selected to be part of program. My strong, brave girl was in tears and my heart was breaking for her.
However, the most shocking thing I heard in between her hiccups of tears was that she had put herself out there and it blew up in her face. I realized at that moment what my husband and I said to her may impact her willingness to try out different things in life or use her musical gift again.
I want my daughter living life full-out and with the potential God has gifted to her so I secretly put on my incognito coaching hat on and ask what made her think it blew up in her face. Her answer, “Because I didn’t get in the talent show.”
My coaching hat slipped off a little bit because I responded with “That’s it?” which only produced more tears. Not the best mom moment. Thankfully, my daughter extended me a little grace later in the evening when she stopped crying.
I believe God puts dreams in our hearts and gifts in our lives, not only to drive us closer to Him because there will be obstacles to achieving our dreams and we will need Him, but to drive others closer to Him through our talents. Those who can sing, while I’m not one of them unless I’m alone in the car, can show me a glimpse of heaven when those talented voices are raised up in a worship song. Then there are artists whose paintings or designs can stir my soul by seeing the way they put colors together. Or the words on a page bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart because of the way they were crafted.
In each of these examples, we can see God at work if we’re looking. We are each given gifts and talents. According to the Bible, in James 1:7 (NIV), “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”
We can interpret this verse to relate only to the blessings in our lives, but I’d challenge us to look at our talents as gifts too. Will we open the gift God has given us or leave it on the birthday party present table for another year?
This week, my daughter tried out a talent and it didn’t work out. This doesn’t mean this isn’t her gift, it might mean she needs to develop it more by get some mentoring or it could mean she’s more of a group artist. The beautiful thing is the night after the talent show took place, I saw my daughter on stage with the concert band banging away in the percussion section with a smile on her face using her musical talent in a different way.
How we use our gifts and talents does matter to God. He has entrusted us with a unique combination of abilities to point ourselves and others to Him. How are you grabbing your gifts for God? Share it in the comments below.