Talents--Gifts from the Master

I was just talking to my good friend Kiersten from Santa Rosa over facebook chat about our mutual love for writing and the way we both get the creative juices flowing.  We were talking about how things end up coming out on the page in a little different way than we would usually say it (mostly because thoughts usually come to me as images or scenes rather than in strings of words--luckily I've had enough opportunities to write that I have been trained to make that conversion).  Kiersten then said the following:

It's interesting too, to have people be touched by the way you worded it, then you really know that it came from God.

I thought about that and replied thus:

Indeed. It's like I'm a trumpet or a cello or something... people aren't there to hear the instrument, they're there to hear the Master play the instrument. "Our" talents are just ways God gives us to be manifested in others' lives.

I truly believe that.  You don't go to a concert to hear instruments--they don't make a lot of noise in and of themselves.  You go to hear the beautiful music made when finely crafted instruments find their way into the hands of master musicians (or your 6th grade son who is just learning how not to make his clarinet squeak).

Our talents are given to us so we can bless others.  Once again my mind turns to the Savior, our greatest example in everything good and worthwhile.  He had talents for listening, teaching, loving, and serving.  He was also a master story-teller!  Have you ever read the Parables?  They're genius!  Thank Heaven He shared His talents with us, so we all could know the Way (oddly enough, He even told a story about not burying your talents...).

So keep sharing your talents!  Bake a cake for your mom!  write a poem to your wife!  teach your kids to play ball or dance or tell jokes or ride a bike!  Our talents are not our own; we are simply instruments in the Hands of our Master.

Much Love,

Elder Spendlove

PS I wrote a series about this not long ago.  Here's the link if you missed it (or if you just want to reread it)

Image from: http://dkpresents.wordpress.com/2008/08/10/a-dozen-trumpet-masters/