America, You've Got Talent...(seriously)

I grew up in a small, rural, ultra traditional church. If you were gonna serve the Lord, you worked in the nursery, you taught Sunday school, or you sang in the choir. I wasn’t really good at any of those things. (Well, I sang in the choir, but that’s another story ENTIRELY.) Growing up like this gave me a very limited impression of what ministry looked like—of what serving God looked like. I didn’t pray out loud well, didn’t have the desire or gift to teach Bible stories, didn’t do ANY of the stuff I thought God expected us to. Soldier for the Lord? My only
talent was warming the pew with my heinie.

Fast forward many years later, and I’m attending a new church. I volunteer to work with the elementary kids, not knowing what else to do to be of assistance. And then they find out I teach drama, and suddenly we’re putting Bible stories into mini-plays for the kids, I’m teaching at Bible school (in drama form), and helping fine-tune the occasional script.

It just never occurred to me that my love for being a ham could be of any use to God. I’m a little slow, I admit. But doesn’t it make perfect sense that if God gives me gifts and talents, such as acting or just the ability to act crazy (yes, it is an art), that He would also want me to use them to glorify Him?

So yeah, I was an old lady when I discovered I had something to give back to God. Soooo unnecessary that it took that long. What gifts do you have? Can you write, sing, or play an instrument? Are you good on the phone (and what teenager isn’t?), have the gift of compassion, organization, or decorating? All these things can be used by God. Pray and ask Him to show you where you are needed. If you’ve got a talent—let it be His! I have a friend, Salle Anne. She’s an expert clogger and plays the spoons like nobody’s business. I can’t wait to see how God is going to use that… And yeah, that's me in the army getup above. I didn't say I looked especially cool while being useful for Jesus.

Have a great weekend!