REFLECTIONS
November 18, 2007
 
 
We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
Romans 12:6
 
 
Mastery of Our Talents
 
As a crowd gathered, Sam stood in the middle of the fairway studying his next shot. His ball was in good position off the tee, but the hole was cut on the front of the green just left of center. A few paces in front of the hole, an imposing bunker guarded its location. Sam could picture how a highly lofted shot would land the ball softly on the green near the hole. But he had little talent to play that kind of shot.
Sam’s golfing resume includes prestigious championships around the land. He has competed alongside some of the most recognizable names in the game. But his playing style bears little resemblance to that of an accomplished golfer. His flailing swing creates a low-slicing amateurish ball flight that provides no hint of the success exhibited in his trophy case.
His play isn’t appealing to watch, but over the years Sam has labored to master the skills he does have and he has enjoyed success in the game using only those skills. Now with another championship within his grasp, he stood pensively considering which shot to hit. I wondered if his long deliberation was to overcome the temptation to play an elaborate shot instead of selecting a shot his swing could execute. It isn’t easy to accept our limitations especially when the best we have produces no sensation.
God has made each of us just as we are. He granted each of us talents, but He also imposed limitations. We marvel at the giftedness of others and we often seek to do what they can do; and we find ourselves committing too much time toward attaining skills we will never possess. Meanwhile the talents God did grant us go unattended.
I marveled at Sam that day. He might have attempted an exotic shot, but his deliberations led him to choose one more suited for his skills. The decision made, Sam struck the ball with his unorthodox but mastered swing; the ball followed its expected low-slicing pattern, landed short of the green, bounced past the imposing bunker, and rolled onto the putting surface. Sam claimed victory, and I learned a life lesson.
God made us uniquely just as we are. He does not ask us to become something we are not. But He does encourage us to master the talents we have. The mastery of our talents is a part of God’s plan for each of us.
He asks nothing more. He wants nothing less.
 
“You are the light of the world,”
Richard Ì
 


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