Laying down your talents for Jesus

Were my talents really part of my flesh? Yes they were! Here's an example...

I love musicals. No seriously, I love em'! And I love acting and singing and being a part of Musicals. I have the ability to be a part of a musical. Or I did. Before I gave those talents to God. So where am I going with this?
Well, let's just say that before I gave my wonderful fleshly talents to God, they were my life. I actually considered studying professional theater. Which would be fine, but it was not the right choice for my calling. Making the choice to go into professional theater was a selfish decision. (Now, when I say this, I don't mean that you shouldn't consider Pro Theater as a main study. If that is your calling, go ahead!) My mother would say "Are you sure you want to do this?" And I would get instantly irritated and say " Yes! This is my life! I want to do what makes me happy!" Little did I know, that a small piece of fame would not make me happy at all. In fact, I've never been so snooty and miserable then when I wanted to disobey God by choosing a path other than the one he had chosen for me.

  I was so wrapped up in the talents that I had discovered that I didn't even see Jesus. I didn't stop to think about what his plan was. It was my life and I wanted to do what made my flesh happy. I wanted to use my talents to glorify myself.

 When I think about it now, it seems silly to choose a life path based of selfish desire. But then, I thought it was what would make me happy forever, when really, it was the path that would lead to immediate devastation, corruption, anger, and death. Thankfully, God was merciful. He didn't discard me and I did to him. Instead, he watched over me and eventually lead me in the right direction. (Psalm 32:8)

When I look at what my talents were and what they got me, I can't understand why I would choose them over Jesus. My talents give me 15 minutes of fame. I turned them into self glorifying tools that satisfied the desires of my flesh. But God offers everlasting love, and so much more! The praise I got in exchange for my talents was short lived and offered by people who didn't actually love me. The love I get from God is sincere, incomparable and lasts forever. And in the end, I'm so much happier living with Jesus in my heart then I ever have been on stage.

Don't get me wrong, I still love musicals! AH! I love musicals! And I still sing along to them even though I've given my vocal chords to God in exchange for his immense presence in my life!

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and shun evil. This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. Proverbs 3: 5-8

Weakness

 This is an entry from my previous blog...

Weakness. It's my word of the day.
Definition:
 1.the state or quality of being weak; lack of strength, firmness, vigor, or the like; feebleness.

2.an inadequate or defective quality, as in a person's character; slight fault or defect: to show great sympathy for human weaknesses.

   There's something about the irony of this word that has always baffled me. I mean, I've always thought of weakness as a bad thing. It's not good to be weak. It's better to be strong. I've always tried to hide my weakness from people, like it was a defect, like a broken link in my chain. Description 2 says that it is an inadequate or defective quality. But I don't know. If weakness is a defect, then does that mean that every premature baby is born defective? Does that make us all inadequate? We all know that no one's perfect. Human Nature is flawed, but I don't think it's because of weakness. I don't think that weakness is a flaw. I think it's the fear of weakness that is the defect. I think the fear of having my weaknesses exposed has made me way more defective than my weaknesses alone. The fact that I won't open up to someone because they might see my weakness, can destroy and prevent relationships. The fact that I have a weakness, won't do nearly as much damage. Weakness is human nature. Being scared of who you are and more importantly, who you're not, is an inadequate quality. 

Fearing our weakness only creates new weakness. As previously said, we are all weak, and none of us are perfect. And until we understand that and be truthful about it, we can't ask Jesus to be our strength. I know that I have a hard time serving others. It had been a constant struggle throughout my life. It is one of my many weaknesses. And until I admit that I struggle with it, I will never be able to ask God for a servants heart.


It is essential that we accept our weaknesses so that they might become strengths through Jesus Christs Spirit!

The Love of God

O love of God, how rich and pure!
  How measureless and strong!
It shall forevermore endure!

The love of our Father is immeasurable. He loves us in every single way and even ways we can't fathom. He is ever healing and comforting. His love is strong and gentle. He leads us with his amazing spirit to do things that are extraordinary! We can nestle into him and know that he will never let us fall or lead us astray.
  In fact, he loves us so much that he knows exactly when to let us walk on our own, whether we want to or not. He does not fight our battles for us, but through us. He is not over protecting or under caring. His holiness knows exactly what we need and through him we can rejoice because we know that we are in good hands. No, scratch that, Great Hands! He is all we need! He is everything! He is the beginning and the end! He is unlike anything else! He is perfect! He is our Father! He is Pure Love!