Thank You Jesus for my Gift

Recently, God really spoke to me about "gifts".

I love serving on the Praise Team and had the greatest privilege of leading praise for the last several months. I used to think that I served because I had the talent (not a whole lot but enough) and that it was my duty, in a sense. Music has always had a soft place in my heart--a place where I felt God speak to me intimately and frequently. So I thought it was my responsibility to share this "gift" with my community, the church.

And then He corrected me.

Gifts and talents are not so much for us to parade around to glorify Him (because really, we can't sufficiently glorify God or even bring majesty to His Name). They are actually just gifts to us. Simply gifts. It's like God wanted to find a way to make me happy, a way for me to enjoy this life. And because He knows me, the real me, He knew that music and praise is what I would enjoy most in this world. So, before I was formed, He knew me and said, "ahh, for this child I will give the gift of music" and He wrapped it all up and placed it in my heart.

Sure, I can share it and I do feel the call to worship Him with music in a corporate setting. But it doesn't matter where or when I worship through music. It's my gift, my present--something for me to enjoy whenever I please.

That's what's real.

**this is something i wrote nearly 2.5 years ago but decided to "publish" today