Heavier thoughts...

Talent. We see it everywhere. You name the medium and you're bound to see something that evokes reactions like "Brilliant", "Amazing", "That guy is a genius!". I've had these reactions countless times and love to appreciate God's unique gifting in people. Sometimes though there is a second reaction that follows the first. It sounds more like "What do I have to offer compared to that?" or even "Why didn't God make me like that guy?" Statements like these only lead to one place and that place is called self loathing.

From what I understand from scripture and have observed there are two types of gifting in this world. I would classify the first as "natural talents". It seems in every generation since the beginning of time people have been given natural talents in art, music, building, math(not me), sports, etc., in order to bring grace and beauty to the world in which we all live. Natural talents are enriching and beautiful to the soul of mankind.

The second are called spiritual gifts which enrich the spirit of fellow believers, and bring blessings or conviction of sin to unbelievers, with the hope that they will turn or repent from their rejection of Jesus Christ as their Lord and turn to him as there Savior. Mercy, giving, evangelism, leadership just to name a few. If you're a follower of Christ you have a spirtual gift. There are tests you can take to help confirm what you might already know.

In both categories we can be tempted by comparison, wanting what we don't have, particularly from those who are high profile. (We've become a culture obsessed with celebrity, which could be a subject for another blog, at another time)

We don't realize that God is fully satisfied with the creation that is his child and we covet what we percieve to be lacking. Many of you know Psalm 139 but do we really believe it? I love the way verses 13-16 read in The Message translation:

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;
you formed me in my mother's womb.
I thank you, High God—you're breathtaking!
Body and soul, I am marvelously made!
I worship in adoration—what a creation!
You know me inside and out,
you know every bone in my body;
You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,
how I was sculpted from nothing into something.
Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;
all the stages of my life were spread out before you,
The days of my life all prepared
before I'd even lived one day."

also Galations 6:4-5

"Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don't be impressed with yourself. Don't compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life."

I love the fact that we have scripture to bring us back to a place of agreement with God's spirit when we are tempted to think otherwise. Let's simply be satisfied in the creation we are, focusing and honing what gifts, both natural and spiritual we possess, to glorify our king.

From nothing into something,

Will