Gifts of God

Gifts of God

By Sarah Preciado, Class of 2014

West Union, South Carolina

As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another,

as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 1 Peter 4:10

            I began playing the piano when I was six years old, and from the very beginning I hated playing in front of people. When I was younger, I would run and hide when told to play for visiting relatives, and sulk for days if my mom told me she had signed me up to play for church the next Sabbath.  As I grew older and continued to progress through my lesson books, playing the piano became one of my very favorite things to do, but I still wouldn’t perform, at least not without some very good threatening.

            When my mom signed me up for piano auditions at MPA’s academy days my eighth grade year, I really didn’t understand what exactly I was trying out for. I found out soon enough when I was told afterwards that I’d been hired to be the choir pianist the following school year. The idea sounded fine to me… until it came time for it to become a reality. That first Monday of choir practice I finally realized what I had signed up for. My worst nightmare had become my occupation. Finally, however, I was forced to get out of my comfort zone and use my talent for something other than my own entertainment, and after a while, I found that it wasn’t bad at all!

            When I look back now, I wish that I had let go of my inhibitions much sooner. I wasted precious years that I could have spent using my talent for God and other people. I thought to myself that there were others who could do a much better job at playing than I could, so what was the point? I would probably just make a fool of myself anyway. That is a terrible way to think! When God gives us a talent – whether it be for music, teaching, helping those in need, or even something unexpected, like baking or gardening – His purpose is not that we alone should be benefited and blessed by our gift, but rather that everyone around us should be as well. Every gift has a purpose, and, though it may be easier for some than for others, we are all called to use those gifts for the glory of God.