Gifts & Talents

How many times have you heard someone say "I don't have any talents"?

Perhaps you have been the one who has uttered the words.

There is not a person who has ever drawn a breath on this planet who has no talents or gifts. It is contrary to the laws of God.

What most people mean when they say 'I have no talent' is really more on the lines of "I have no talent that could make me rich and famous" or "I have no talent that other people can watch and enjoy like singing or juggling."

I watched a couple of women after choir practice tonight who were talking about quilting and making tiny little gifts of love and comfort for premature infants. They have a gift. Their talent is in taking pieces of cloth and making something more than just a rag. Instead, they can create the wonderous comfort of a quilt that brings an almost immediate sense of 'home' to its recipient be they young or old.

Other women and men at the rehearsal were chatting about subjects ranging from vocational skills to martial arts talents and everything in between.

All too often, I believe we are more than willing to let the Devil talk us out of believing that we DO have something to offer our fellow man and the world at large. We self-deprecate and act abashed and sometimes downright ashamed of the gift that is ours because it isn't flashy when compared to the gift of another.

Our Sunday School lesson today talked about our gifts and talents and it made me realize that my life has been blessed by the application of a whole multitude of talents that lie within the heart and mind of other people who were kind enough to share their time with me.

While I cannot do all or even a generous portion of the things that have been done for me, I CAN make myself appreciative of the administration of their gift in my behalf.

I believe that is honestly the reason that we all didn't get the same things. We are supposed to care for and support each other. We would have no impetus for so doing if we all individually had every conceivable gift or talent that was had by mankind at large.

Becoming thankful for what I am and can do is a tough job sometimes. I want to see what it is like for someone else over the fenceline. On those rare days when I take the time to self-assess, I have to come to the startling conclusion that who I have become is a direct result of how I either did or did not use my talents that God saw fit to bless me with in my life.

Thank you, Father, for making me unique. Even if that is hard to take sometimes. No matter what life may dish out, I am glad I get to be on this journey of discovery.