All the Talent I Never Had

My favourite time of year is coming up. It’s two months away, and in kid-time it may seem like an eternity but in adult-time, it’s only 7 weekends. That’s less than a school term, less than a Beth Moore bible study, less than a pregnancy trimester, and less than a season of my new favourite TV show, This is Us. I’m away most of May for a worship assignment (with my worship flags, from Catch the Fire Worship Flags – shameless plug), and June is busy with year-end activities and trying to schedule events before friends take off for the summer. So...in other words, if I blink 3x fast, summer will be here.

Summer is the best time of the year. Summer means it’s my birthday, and my birthday means gifts, and celebrations and people saying all sorts of nice things to me on Facebook. Summer also means long evenings, late BBQ dinners, and friends – lots and lots of friends. In particular, I look forward to my yearly girl’s weekend getaway with my two longest and dearest friends. We’ve been friends since high school, and since we’re turning 43 this year, it means our friendship spans almost three decades. 

Last year, one of the girls pulled out our old high school yearbooks – what a hoot. We laughed and reminisced over the friends we loved and lost touch. Between the three of us (and Facebook), we had a pretty good idea about what many of our old schoolmates were up to. Some were doing exactly what said they would do, and for more than a few we expressed amazement, “They’re doing what now?!”

I’m one of those people who turned out completely different than I was in high school – well, not completely different...I’m still as bossy and determined (i.e. stubborn) as I was then, but the passion of my pursuit is as different as the east coast is from the west coast or the north is from the south.

This afternoon I was online and I read some quotes someone else had posted on a Facebook page. I was moved by the beauty and profoundness of the words and then I realized they were quoting words I had written a while ago. Of course it makes me feel proud, but not because I had anything to do with it – anything great, and I mean anything and everything great about me is because of what God has developed in me.

I hated English and did poorly in it. I was much more inclined towards maths, sciences and socials. I’m confident no one would have thought I would ever communicate in writing in a way that touches the lives of people. And yet, God saw differently. I respond to Him and the rest flows – it’s definitely not eloquent all the time (or even most of the time) but God gets the glory for it all. 

Dance is another expression where God gets the glory. I’m not trained, and I have no natural rhythm and yet God uses me through dance. I’m certain it’s one of those cases where God takes the foolish to confound the wise. I contemplate all that I’ve been invited to partner with God in my life and I’m astounded by His grace toward me. My favourite question to ask God is, “Who am I, that you are mindful of me?”

I relate to King Saul, when he was anointed to be king – he was hiding among the baggage and said, “Am I not a Benjamite, of the smallest of the tribes of Israel, and my family the least of all the families of the tribe of Benjamin? Why then do you speak to me in this way?” (1 Samuel 9:21) I don’t understand it, but yeah, it makes me proud. It makes me proud of who God made me to be. I may not trust my own abilities, but I trust God to come through for me.

Even though I’ve been a witness to my own life, when I was reminiscing with my girlfriends I was as incredulous about what I’ve accomplished (because of Christ), as I was by other classmates who were vastly different than who they were in high school. By anyone’s best guess, I should have landed somewhere very different than where I am today. 

I’m not even sure if I have a point to my musings, except maybe this, God makes a way (or give a talent) where there wasn’t a way (or any talent), and He makes it glorious.