Tags
Christian encouragement, christian journey, christian walk, Christianity, devotional, encouragement, family devotions, gifts, smothering, soaring, spiritual gifts
Several weeks ago, I had the honor of singing at our local Association’s annual meeting. Afterwards, we were eating with a gentleman and in our conversation he said, “Wow. You have a really high voice.” It made me smile, because he didn’t know it, but I used to sing alto, not soprano. For many years I thought a soprano was a certain kind of voice with a certain kind of power and so, I covered up my “high voice” and simply sang alto. I had to really work at being an alto. I didn’t hear the alto part readily (that should have been my first clue that I wasn’t where I was supposed to be), so I would take the music home and bang it out on the piano until I could sing it well. I noticed other altos around me could just start singing the part without practice and so I thought, “Well, I’m just not as good as they are. I hope they don’t notice I’m struggling.” I sang, but was quite intimidated. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed it, but it just felt like work.
Years later, and I mean years later, I finally started to sing soprano. My husband had several job relocations and the babies were little so I was out of choir for a while. When we got comfortable in our next church, I can’t even tell you why, but when I joined the choir, I just decided to sing soprano. It was so odd. I felt such joy at just letting go. I still have to work at the notes, but nothing like I did being an alto. I thought I loved to sing before, but now…wow…I LOVE to sing!
When that dear gentleman told me that I had a “high voice”, he couldn’t imagine the memories that it evoked. He couldn’t imagine the feelings of thankfulness to God that welled up in me for guiding me to where I wasn’t smothered His gift in me, but soaring. Not to get attention, but to bring Him glory.
So, I encourage you today to stop smothering your God-given gift. We all have gifts (I Corinthians 12 ), so let them soar. Don’t compare your teaching, your writing, your singing, your cleaning, your giving, or whatever gifts you have with others. Just use your gift to bring God glory and who knows, some day in the future a gentleman may help you to remember what you were, so you can give God praise for who you are.