So You Think You've Got Talent?

by: Sandra Lopez

    When growing in faith, you are constantly instilled that there is a talent that lies within you and that you are expected to see it in to fruition. Ministries of becoming great preachers and messengers of the gospel, singers and musicians transcending melodies that touch the souls in ways that words can't, leadership positions that keep the kingdom in order, are among the obvious ministries. Then, there are those not-so-obvious ministries. The one's that seem to stand on the side lines but that, I believe, must lie at the core of all our gifts. There are ministries of giving, willingness to serve and prayer warriors that I feel are the heart of our faith.

    It’s unfortunate that there are those moments that creep up on you that make your talents seem worthless. Careful, Satan is at hand! Believe me; I’ve had my fair share of discouraging moments. As a matter of fact, I've had my fair share and then some. They snowball at you with force, huh?! Worst of all is when those moments are fed by people you love and least expect to hurt you in that way. Those people that at one point were in awe of such talent and couldn't help but want to rub shoulders with you. Now, they’re quick to judge and look down on you. Inadvertently making you feel that your talent will amount to nothing. It's sad, but it's true. I wish I could tell you that those moments are far and few in between. I’m sorry to break it to you that those hits will just keep on coming.



    I recently had one of those episodes. An episode complete with rejection, disappointment, and heartbreak which fueled a depression within me.  Lying awake in the dark hours of the morning, I began to speak to the Almighty laying out my cries and questions and jumbled mess of thoughts that were penetrating my mind. At some point in the night, peace came allowing me to finally put my brain to rest for a couple hours. I awoke the next morning with those thoughts still fresh on my mind. I sat at my desk and pulled my bible out in hopes of finding something that could alleviate the sorrow I felt within. By simply shifting through the pages, the words in red type screamed at me to recollect on our Lord Jesus Christ. While I contemplated the life our Lord led here on earth, I was reminded of His remarkable ministry simultaneous with the tretcherous course His human life would turn to befall.  Who more than Jesus endured all of those things that can make a person feel worthless? Of course, Jesus wasn’t just any man, but He did endure all the pain that come with being human. Rejection, disappointment, and of course, heartbreak.
   
    It is written in the word that we must pass through storms to reach our destiny. As foretold in Isaiah 53, for Jesus, storms definitely came. Verse 3 reads, “He is despised and rejected by men, A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him” Some believed in Him one minute and the next were quick to crucify Him on the cross. Even those closest to Him that he loved beyond reason turned their backs on Him in His time of need. Undeserving, verse 5 says, “But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.” Jesus saw the plan of our Salvation through. He kept his eye on the prize and marched on.
    I read enough in my bible that day to regain my pride on walking this narrow walk with Christ. As I prepared to put my bible away, I found a forgotten folded sheet of paper within. Its content contained notes I had written down from a message titled Still Standing.  While skimming through my scribbles and re-reading the passages listed, I was reminded that it is by His grace we stand and we must never forget that it is He who we serve. If we take ourselves out of the equation, if we take our names out of the agenda, all that is left is the Almighty himself. Our God who will never reject you, He’ll never disappoint you and He’ll never break your heart. He loves everything and anything you do in praise of His name. Whether people see it or they don’t, whether the world acknowledges or they don’t and whether the world appreciates it or they don’t, all of who we are is in honor of Him. Jesus said in Luke 10:16 “He who hears you hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me.”  In the end, my moping and self-loathing wasn’t worth much when I let all of that sink in. Although the enemy has tried to bury me, I am still here, still standing, still marching, still yearning to put my faith filled talents to use.

    We must always try to remember that God’s plans are not our own.  It’s hard a concept to grasp, but it is a principle of our faith.  Realize that with all the rejections, closed doors and missed opportunities, there is light at the end of the tunnel; a life that breathes a purpose.  Once reached, those hurdles and bumps in the road that taught you lessons and gifted you with humility, become obstacles to be grateful for. Regardless of how insignificant your talent might seem or might seem to have become, the Lord has gifted it to you with reason. From the Parable of Talents in Matthew 25 where each servant received talents according to their own abilities, I got the message that just because they said or made you feel like your talent is limited; never make the mistake of digging a whole and burying it. Always see it through. Don't forget that it has been gifted to you for His praise.

    So, dust your vocal chords off, bring your instrument out of storage, open that bible and research it as if a school assignment depended on it, break those knees out and worship, request guidance from the Lord as to where the next need is, and ask the Almighty to re-release that talent with new fire and a new anointing. To satisfy, rebuke all those haters being used by Satan. Use your God given gifts to worship our Creator.

-Shadi