everyone's got talent

Robbie and I DVR a lot of TV. It seems everything we like to watch comes on at the same time or at times we're preoccupied, so we DVR it and when we get time to watch, we catch up. So, here it is Monday night and I am watching America's Got Talent. And I'm bawling. Like streams of tears down both cheeks. Why? Emily David. The last singer of the LA auditions. She's a heavy set 40 yr old single mother of 3 or 4 teens. She is pleasant. She has a gap in her upper front teeth and she is morbidly obese. She has sacrificed and sacrificed and sacrificed for her kids. She says in her montage, "I sometimes wonder if I'm worth trying for this. Then I look in the mirror and say, 'Why not me?'." She is insecure, but she steps out on the stage. When she does, she WAILS (and I mean that as an absolute compliment!!). She really was an amazing singer. As the judges told her how amazing she was, she broke down in tears. It's like I could see in her face that no one had ever told her how talented she really was, that she has a "natural gifting". She was still seeking that approval of the world. I just wanted to grab her and hug her oh so tight and tell her she was worth the applause. By being a loving and devoted mother, she was already being applauded in Heaven. By being a child of God, she is already loved unconditionally, she didn't need the crowd to give her that. She has a plan and a purpose in God's kingdom.

We all have a plan and a purpose (See Jeremiah 29:11.. I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and keep you, to give you hope and a future.") But the world can beat us down. It can beat us down through the choices of other people (abuse, neglect, abandonment, physical pain) or it beat us down with choices we make ourselves like drugs, alcohol, casual sex, choosing to look to a guy to make us feel good about ourselves instead of God, choosing to walk away from God even when we see him. Does any of that matter to God? He gave us "free will", that is, the power to make choices. God is not a dictator. He doesn't demand us to come to him. But he does ask us to. We get to choose. Your choices do matter to God. He would like for us to choose him. Once we have reconciled to him, the choices are not over. We have to chose daily to seek him. We also get to choose whether we make ourselves conceited or make ourselves available. You know what I mean. We get to decide if we are going to be "better" than someone else or if we are going to look past their exterior and get to the nitty gritty. Maybe this woman never knew her potential because no one ever leaned over and said, "You know, Emily, you are a wonderful person. I think you would be wonderful in our choir. You have a natural gift for bringing praise to God." Or (I'm gonna start using some personal examples here, sorry family/friends) "Heather, you take beautiful pictures. No one could capture the perspective the way you do. You have a real gift." "Bendy, you are an awesome and abundantly loving mother/grandma, no wonder you are so great with kids in your classroom. You are great at giving encouragement. You have a real gift for serving those around you with kindness." "Sarah, you are a very talented writer and communicator. You have such a unique outlook, it would be a shame for you to leave the classroom. The kids would be missing an amazing perspective. You have a real gift of understanding kids who think they are misunderstood. I think that is why you are so good with Henry. You seek to understand his strengths and encourage them to grow and blossom."

Think of the body. A arm is not much use without a hand, and a hand is not much good without a finger but those things are just what we see on the outside. Try using a finger that doesn't have an artery to give it nourishment. It is void. Do we see the artery carrying the blood? No, not physically, but without the artery, the finger turns black and falls off. The artery would not have blood to carry to the finger without the heart and the heart would not have oxygen to push around if not for the lungs. This is redundant, but the point is, there is no person too "small". I always heard that in children's sermons, but it needs to be spoken to so many adults as well. THERE IS NO PERSON TOO SMALL! We ALL have a place and purpose. Don't forget it!! Here's some proof for you:

Romans 12:3ff
"Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the measure of faith God has given you. Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited."

If you don't know a personal relationship with God, start one. You can start by saying a simple prayer inviting him into your life and asking him to start showing you his purpose and plan for your life. That also involves following through and following him (making choices daily to do his will and not your will). If you already know him, start to look outside yourself. Look for ways to share God's love with those around you. Watch and see the giftings of each person around you and ENCOURAGE them to use their gifts. They may not even realize they are good at something until you point it out. Someone did this to me once and it caught me off guard, I was like, "really?" It was a true revelation. I had to take it captive and pray about it. It's one of the reasons this blog got started in the first place. (My sister is the writer, not me.) Use your gifts to make it all work. We all have a function. Every piece is integral. Seek him, know him, work as one with him. That is a life worth striving for.