Value the gift you've been given!

By Jenny Glazebrook

Do you ever wish for someone else's gift? As writers, we rarely see the result of our work. People quietly read our words in their homes. And reviews? Well, we all know how few of our readers write those! Does this make our gift feel less worthwhile? If we could sing we'd be seen up the front, we'd receive applause or at least see the faces of those we are reaching.
Instant gratification and validation.

Until 9 o'clock last night I had a different post in mind to share with you today. But then God spoke into my heart in a way I couldn't ignore and I just had to share it with you.

I was at the Kapooka Army band concert at the Wagga Wagga Christian College. Gifted students joined the Army band in a showcase of amazing talent. I sat back, soaking up the power of that music as it fed my soul.

Kapooka at the College concert
Caleb Skewes and Micah Glazebrook singing 'Fire and Rain'

During the first interval I searched the sea of faces in the audience and went to talk to one of the few ladies I knew. She told me about a church event she attended a few weeks ago. She wanted me to know that someone there shared their testimony and in it they said God had used me to lead them to Christ.

I was humbled. And blessed. God could not have chosen a better moment in time to let me have a glimpse into eternity and the way He chooses to use us and our gifts.

Why was this moment so perfect?

Because I love music. As a child it moved me like no other thing on earth could. The beauty of music and the emotions it could stir seemed to me to have a power nothing else could match. 

The problem was, I had a younger brother who was a bit of a child prodigy when it came to the piano and a sister everyone said had a natural gift for music. And I? I was so shy, so anxious that I couldn't enjoy performing. During the years I learned piano I was unwell and was diagnosed with diabetes which made my fingers less flexible and playing difficult.

I played tenor horn in the school band, but this was also difficult as I had a cleft lip and palate requiring surgeries. I had to re-learn after each surgery. I could sing on tune, but was too shy to perform.

And so I would watch others perform, and wish I had their gift. I saw the way people appreciated and responded to music - the immediate applause and the praise my siblings would receive.

I saw myself as less valuable.

But God stepped in and showed me my worth in His eyes. I was 13 when I first understood the depth of His love for me and that He made me the way I am for a reason and will use me just the way I am.

Then at 15, I was asked to share my testimony at a youth camp. I was still shy. Still in the middle of surgeries. Still learning who I was in Christ. I was so insecure and nervous that I wrote everything I wanted to say in a note book, and then in front of that camp full of teenagers, I read it out word for word in a shaking voice. I told them my story - what I had been through, and how God had shown me His great love and how real He is. I told them how I'd learned it doesn't matter what people think ... all that matters is what God thinks.

Me as a teenager

I didn't hear about the impact of that testimony until years later. There was no immediate applause, no instant gratification. I was too shy to even look at people as I read out what I had written.

But now, more and more, I hear from people like that lady last night at the concert. There is a minister who shares his testimony around the Riverina. He came to know Christ through what I wrote down and read out at that camp. He tells people what God did through the words of a shy teenager - that teenager being me, who at that age just wished I could sing and perform musically and be more outgoing.

God in his graciousness has given me a son with a musical gift. I enjoy my son's gift of music every day, and last night was blessed as he sang before a crowd of hundreds with the school and Army band backing him up. 

But ironically it was in that very place God chose to remind me of the value of the gift He has given me. Writing lasts. Writing is not a moment of high emotion and then applause. It is a beautiful, valuable gift that can outlast and outlive us.

Our gifts are not for us. They are not for our gratification or momentary fame. They are not to build up our self-esteem. They are to build others up, to lead them to Jesus, to connect them with God and encourage them into eternity in His way, in His time. And sometimes God in His graciousness allows us to see what He is doing with our gifts.

I am currently reading 'God's dangerous book' by Nick Page. It's all about the history of the Bible. And what strikes me time and time again is that most of the people I am reading about are gone, but their words remain. God still uses them.

As I drove home with my son late last night, my heart was filled with gratefulness for the gift of writing and storytelling. And I want to encourage you today: 

Value the gift you have! It is beautiful. It is powerful. And one day, in heaven, you will see the big, full, amazing picture and purpose God has in the words He has given you.

Jenny Glazebrook lives in the country town of Gundagai with her husband, Rob and 4 children along with many pets. She is the published author of 7 novels, 1 traditionally published, and 6 self published. She writes because words burn within her. She is an experienced inspirational speaker and loves to encourage others to walk closer with God and hear His voice each day. She has a Diploma of Theology and is a 4 times CALEB finalist. Jenny’s website is: www.jennyglazebrook.com