Thankful for my talents

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

Every day I am reminded of the many wonderfully, amazing talents He has bestowed upon me.  Some were revealed to me at an early age.  My talent for music:  singing, playing the piano and rhythm.  Some were revealed to me in high school and college.  My talent for art:  a creative mind, an eye for art and ways to show off that beauty in print.  Some are still being revealed to me.  My talent to be a best friend, lover and soul mate.  Every day, I use one of my many given talents but I don't always give thanks every day for the way I get to use them.  

Everyone is blessed with a voice.  A voice to speak and to communicate with others.  Some of those voices are blessed to be singing voices and some of those singing voices should be left to singing along with the radio.  From an early age, I was singing in the church choir, in school programs and then as I grew older and my voice matured... I was asked to enter voice competitions and had leading solos in concerts.  Along with that talent of singing, I was blessed with fingers that tickle the ivory.  At the age of three, I was sitting on my grandmothers piano and even though those "performances" weren't the ones I can give today, they were the ones that opened the door for my lifelong talent of playing the piano.  And while you don't have to have the talent of rhythm to go along with singing and playing the piano, it does help.   This week, I was asked to consider playing the piano at church, again.  I played for nine years full time before moving to Jackson and even though I can't go back full time, I like the thought of playing hymn arrangements for everyone to worship with.  And the best part is it is at my home church.  The church where I was brought up and raised and still holds a big part of me.

And my junior year of high school, he blessed me with more talents.  A talent for the arts.  I never knew that I would use these talents every day in my job like I do today.  There aren't many people who can say they love their job but I can.  I get to do the things I love and do the things I'm good at.  Being creative, taking photos, creating photos and making everything come together in one magazine that everyone can't wait to pick up every month.  The love and passion these talents have with me, go deep.  Seeing others faces light up when they see what has been created for them makes it all worth my while.

A few years ago, I wondered and even questioned if I could ever be that someone's love and soul mate.  In May 2009, that question was answered.  He did give me that talent.  He gave me the talent to love and comfort the one I'm with, to share in the joys and the sorrows throughout our daily routines and to give all of myself... the good, the bad, the ugly.  It's an amazing feeling to know that what we have is real.  And that even though every one thinks they know what is best for us... only He knows what is best for us.  Our timing is right and the only people we are concerned with pleasing is Him and ourselves.

Today, I was reminded that God also gave me a bountiful amount of talent in the best friend area.  The words from your lips made me realize that I'm who I am today and why we are still best friends today.  There has never been any jealousy because we were truly meant to be friends.  The support of friends and the willingness to accept those friends make having the talent of being a best friend the easiest one of them all.

God doesn't make mistakes.  He supplies us with the talents He thinks we will be able to use in honor of him.  It's up to us to use them and give thanks for them.