Give me a word, Lord: TALENTS

Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.

1 Corinthians 12:5-6 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work,

Yesterday was an extremely busy day in the clinic. I worked hard all day, and after the last patient left for the day, I still had tons of work remaining. My dear husband sensed that I had been stretched too thin, and he showed up at my clinic to share a meal with me. He not only shared a meal, he stayed with me while I worked until after 9:00 pm trying to catch my tail that I had been chasing all day long. That act of love meant more to me that ten dozen roses or 5 lbs of Reese’s candy! After days like yesterday, I can’t help but wonder why I do what I do. Today, this post appeared on my memories. God knows that this knucklehead girl needs a reminder every now and then that He gave me the talents to do what I do, and He reminds me that I am working for Him and not for man. So today, I want to share this timely reminder. God gives every single one of us talents. We need to appreciate those gifts and always continue to use those talents for His glory!

A precious 91 year young lady came to see me in the clinic. As always, she came bearing a gift. With a beautiful bright smile on her face (that could be detected even behind a mask), she presented me with a fresh pint of mayhaw jelly. She informed me that she had just made this jelly the day before and that she called ahead to make sure I was working. I was tickled that she thought of me, and she was very pleased to see that she had made me happy. She never shows up empty handed. Here is a lady, 91 years of age, still using her God given talents to bless others. She is still taking care of her grandchildren and great grandchildren, still driving herself to and from appointments, and still making homemade jelly. She is as sharp as a tack, and she is always like a breath of fresh air. I so want to be her when I grow up!

Our visit got me to thinking about gifts and talents. What talents has God gifted you with? Are you using them for His glory? There are talents that I wish God had blessed me with such as a beautiful singing voice. I guess He would rather hear me make a happy racket instead of a joyful noise because He sure gave that gift to someone other than me. I could sit here and make a list a mile long of talents I wish I had been gifted with and pout about it, or I could sit here and think about the talents that God picked out especially for me. Any old body can sing, well anybody but me, but not everyone could manage a crazy critter farm or write down and record those crazy critter antics to share with whoever chooses to read my ramblings. God sure does have a sense of humor! He also blessed me with a brain and the ability to study and learn and work in the field of medicine. He gave me hands, that although are knotted up from arthritis, are strong and not afraid of hard work. And best of all, He gave me a heart the size of Texas: a heart for people and a heart for Christ. Because He gave me these simple gifts of a brain, and strength, and love, I must use these gifts for His glory.

If that little 91 year old had presented her jelly to me and I had turned my nose up, she would not have been very pleased with me. But because I thanked her profusely and bragged about her gift, she left after our visit feeling pleased. Think about this for a moment. God gave you gifts and talents also. He designed some specifically with you in mind, and He gave us each those gifts because He wants us to use them for His glory. When we recognize that the talents we have are gifts straight from God, we begin using those talents to bring glory & honor to Him. This pleases Him. Not using those gifts and talents for God’s glory would be very displeasing to Him. I’m saved by faith. I know that I am guaranteed eternity in heaven. I know that I am going to walk through those pearly gates one day, but I don’t ever want to show up empty handed. I want to show up knowing that I have worked hard, used my talents for God’s glory, and hear those words, “well done, my good and faithful servant.” Hey, I may even show up with a jar of our homemade mayhaw jelly in hand!