Talents

Cherishable Remarks

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As a musician, I’ve received many comments and opinions about my abilities, people’s taste, etc., over the years. Church folk love to “bless” musicians with unsolicited opinions.

The two most head scratching came as a result of listeners feeling like they needed to tell me something after being moved during a Sunday service or if they’ve not seen me in a few years and wanted to inquire “where are you now?”

The latter scenario has often included some version of “If you don’t use your talents, God will take them from you.” They, usually older ladies with a need to set me straight, mean well, I suppose. But their well meaning has yet to be motivational.

But the one that seemed most odd was this one: “You missed your calling.” More than once, I’ve been told this because my current job title didn’t include “Worship,” “Music,” “Choir,” or “Pianist.” There really isn’t a response to that comment worth offering, but it seems rather obvious that somehow in the last hour it’s possible I didn’t.

December 1st I got several comments that erased, or at least, countered such past comments. Interestingly, they didn’t follow a church service. The event was a Friday night Christmas fundraising dinner. Throughout the evening, four coworkers joined me to share songs-some familiar, some new, all celebrating the beginning of the season.

Three memorable conversations followed. One gentleman reminisced about his mother’s playing and how he wished he had learned to play. Another man wanted to introduce me to his wife, a long-time piano teacher, who noticed elements of our performance that only a pianist would commend. No judgment. Pure appreciation.

But the one that I’ll most remember came from an unexpected source. Another coworker that I had no idea had any musical past offered this response: “You have inspired me to get out my piano.”

Whatever talent you have, it’s inevitable your sharing of it will draw remarks. Let the judgments go. Cherish and hold those that encourage you to share again.

(A graphic copied from a friend’s Facebook post)

Photo by Alan Liu on Unsplash

Whether You Want That Hat or Not

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Hats. We all have them. Some of them we like and chose, and some we wish we didn’t have and didn’t choose. Of the latter, we may even go so far as to try to not let anyone know we have them or try to walk away from them.

To be clear, I’m not talking about hats you wear; I’m talking about skills and abilities you were born with or have learned; you could also look at the various positions you have in life (parent, child, worker, volunteer) in this light.

Whatever these skills or positions are, there is one truth that should keep us on the right path of what to do with them: these were directly given or allowed by God. 

  • That talent with numbers. Given by God.
  • That choice to marry. Allowed by God.
  • That ability to teach. Given by God.
  • That choice to join the military. Allowed by God.

Sometimes we get off the right path with these skills and positions. We may get off the right path because we don’t know what to do with them, decide to run from them, or choose to ignore or hide them. We may get to the place where we just wish we didn’t have them.

The reality is we should stand in them whether we want them or not. We should find God’s purpose in them, whether we want that hat or not. Over the last few decades, there’s one thing I’ve learned about hats: the best thing to do with a hat you don’t want is to share it. Let God show you the purpose of that hat. You might be surprised, maybe even decide you want it after all.