glimpses of JOY

Why does God give us talents? I've always been told that God graciously gives us talents to use to bring others to Christ and to publicly glorify His name, which I believe, but what if some talents are for a different reason. What if every person you see had an amazing talent you knew nothing about? Something crazy, awesome about them that only they know about and sometimes they don't even realize themselves. I believe this is true. What if God gives us talents with only the intent of us enjoying it and God enjoying it and no one else knowing about it- I think he does. 
For me it is the piano. Many of you don't know that I play because I'm not in a band and don't post Instagram videos of myself playing, etc... but I do. I'm no Mozart, but I can play chords, and if you know anything about music, chords = songs. I don't think I am disobeying God for not playing in church or using the talent he has given me publicly, because I have found that every time I take a seat at the piano, it is like I am taking a seat in the presence of Jesus. How crazy that must sound, but how awesome it feels to feel like one with my Savior. Maybe God gives us talents such as this in order to communicate with Him in a way that is personal to us and that pleases Him immensely. Maybe I am part of something so much greater only by taking a seat and hitting a few chords with my mind focused on Heaven. Maybe God gave me this gift to be solely for me and Him. 

"Do your work willingly, as though you were serving the Lord himself, and not just your earthly master. In fact, the Lord Christ is the one you are really serving, and you know he will reward you."                         -Colossians 3:23-24 CEV

If God gives each of us talents, no matter what they may be, that shows His grand design in the creation of each of us and of our lives before we were even on earth and how special we are in His eyes. That the God of the whole universe would pay special attention to give every single one of us a talent/talents just for the pure idea of enjoyment and communication between the earth we live in and the heaven where He resides. Tell me that our God is not incredible, I dare you. When we look around we see things we wish we had or could do (maybe singing, dancing, writing, or any other talent under the sun), but just maybe, God gave us something special so that it could be a love language between us and our creator, personally, and not something we receive applause for on earth but only when we join Him in heaven. I can't wait for the day I join Him for eternity, but until then I know God wants me to continue to connect with Him through the gifts he has given me on earth, whether super talented or not, and learn to communicate through what He has given me. I urge every single person reading this to realize that God created you specifically with talents and gifts, and I may be wrong, but I believe some of these are specifically to communicate with the God who blessed you with them. Think about that and see the joy that comes when you use what God gives you to praise Him and to find your identity and community in His name. Hallelujah, our God is greater than anything this earth has to offer- finding joy in Him gives a glimpse of perfection in a world of brokenness.

"Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out;

you formed me in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out,

you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit,

how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth;

all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared

before I’d even lived one day."   -Psalm 139:14 MSG