Week 7- Talents

I realized this week that I've spent a ridiculous amount of my life wishing I possessed talents that I don't have...some that I will never have. 

Two that mean a lot to me are musically related.  I've loved music my whole life. So much so that I've always felt my life is run by a soundtrack. Every song I hear I can relate to a time in my life. Everytime I'm going through something, there are songs that fit. I've always been a song dedicator...a deep lyric reader. I listen to music for every mood I have. I turn to music for everything. When I was young, I would turn my alarm clock radio on and I would lay my head on it and fall asleep listening to it every night. I would skip school to listen to music I needed at the time to help me process emotions or just escape. Even now I escape to my ipod all the time. I find so much inspiration in music. I played the piano growing up, was in love with it and I even use to write songs...dreaming of being a singer/songwriter.  I've wanted to play the guitar since I was a teen. I even use to skip school to go to the music store and look at guitars, wishing I could buy one. A dream I somehow let get lost in my busy life. But most of all, I've always wished I was blessed with a beautiful singing voice. I was in every choir class available and I even took voice lessons for a while. I'm not a horrible singer..just average. But nothing special. Something I knew I'd never just wake up and have one day no matter how badly I wished for it. I wanted to be Jewel and Tori Amos, two women that really inspired me and depth I related to.

Somewhere along the way, I've learned some humble truths about our talents. Most important of all, we have to remember that our talents are God-given. And he doesn't leave ANYONE behind. He has given each of us divine talents. And we're obligated to discover and develop as many of those as we can. We may not know what they are, but it's important to have faith that they are there and that we can do our part to find them. By sitting down and deciding what we like, what we can give more of our time and efforts to. If we do this, we'll know who we are and feel more confident about ourselves. Our talents, if used wisely and whole-heartedly, can define who we are, aide us in serving others and help us to stay focused on our worth and place in His plan.

Elder Dallin H. Oaks once said,

“Satan can also attack us where we think we are strong—in the very areas where we are proud of our strengths. He will approach us through the greatest talents and spiritual gifts we possess. If we are not wary, Satan can cause our spiritual downfall by corrupting us through our strengths as well as by exploiting our weaknesses.” 

The Lord made it clear that it is not good enough for us simply to return to Him the talents He has given us. We are to improve upon and add to our talents. He has promised that if we multiply our talents we will receive eternal joy.

I really think this is hard for most people. Unfortunately it's not just sent down to Earth on a list with us when we're born. We have to find them on our own. That's part of the plan. I struggle daily with wondering what my talents are. When people tell me that I'm talented, I often take that for granted because the things they notice are things I have taught myself to do in the last few years...in search of finding my true talents. I once gave up on talents I knew I didn't possess...and I tried to search for things that I found joy in. And not just for myself but things that could bring joy to others. As I found them, I'd try to educate myself in them. I taught myself how to bake and decorate cakes, cupcakes and prepare treats for parties. I started crafting more when the girls were born and I've taught myself to make hair accessories for the girls & I'm now learning to sew. I've really thanked my Heavenly Father for helping me to discover these talents and I constantly pray that I'll be able to develop them with His help.

 

But somehow, I still feel like these talents are empty. Big deal...I can make cakes and be crafty. Some days I just don't feel like these things have much value to them. They feel more like hobbies. They aren't inspiring, they often stress me out. I know how ungrateful this is. But I just feel like I can give more of something INSIDE. I want my talents to be able to serve others. I just don't know what it is yet and it's so hard trying to find that.

 

I think what I've taken from this last week, is that these things don't just get handed to us sometimes. You have to spiritually strengthen yourself to receive the guidance you need. You have to have faith and truly ask for guidance and keep yourself open to new opportunities and possibilities. You can't be afraid to develop something just because you don't believe in yourself. If we're humble, prayerful, willing and looking for these divine talents, we will find them. And I think the important...truly selfless talents that we can use to serve and uplift others are the ones worth searching for.

 

Last, I wanted to share this quote I saw today. I really found peace in it knowing that if we don't find those stand out talents in our lives, there are still things of worth in this life to strive to be.

‎"Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are, to some extent, a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it, piece by piece, by thought, choice, courage, and determination."

~H. Jackson Brown