Blatt, Blatt, Blatt

Bible Reading: Romans 12:4-8

BLATT! BLATT! BLATT!

Billy was sitting in front of the music stand with his trombone, moving the slide in and out, when Dad walked in holding a baseball and glove.

“Hey, Billy,” Dad said. “How about taking a break to play catch?”

In the backyard Dad threw easy tosses to Billy, who then threw them back. “How’s the trombone going?” Dad asked.

“Okay, I guess,” Billy replied.

“What does your teacher guess?” Dad asked as he threw a little to Billy’s left, making him reach for it.

“She guesses I’m not practicing. But I am practicing!”

“I know you are, but your trombone sounds the same,” Dad said. “Mom told me that when the furnace man was here yesterday, he thought one of the smoke detectors was malfunctioning.” Dad chuckled, then quickly stifled it and threw the ball way to Billy’s left. Billy sprinted and caught the ball in the webbing of his glove. “Great catch!” Dad exclaimed.

“You’re not going to say I should give up, are you?” Billy threw the ball back. “I never give up! Never! You taught me that.”

Dad caught the ball and held it. “I taught you that so you wouldn’t be a quitter. Every skill takes time to develop, and you need patience to get through the difficult parts of learning. But we all have different gifts, and one of our tasks growing up is to figure out what they are. I know you’re not a quitter, Billy, but that doesn’t mean you should keep doing something just because you don’t want people to think you’re giving up—that can actually be a form of pride. God has gifted each of us in unique ways, and we need to honor Him by seeking and developing those gifts so we can use them to help others and point them to Jesus. If we try something and find it isn’t one of our gifts, we need to move on.”

“So if the trombone isn’t one of my gifts, what is?” Billy asked. “What should I work on instead?”

Dad smiled and looked down at the baseball in his hand. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He threw the ball high above Billy’s head, and Billy jumped up and caught it. – William Grimm

How About You?

Have you been struggling to get better at something and it just doesn’t seem to be working? It’s important to give yourself time to develop your skills whenever you try something new, but you also need to be willing to move on when things don’t work out. Ask God to help you discover and develop the gifts He’s given you so you can use them the way He wants you to. On that, never give up!

Today’s Key Verse: Romans 12:6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. (NKJV)

Today’s Key Thought:

Develop the gifts God’s given you