Talents

It is a bit amusing that whenever there is a talk at church about talents, no one can think of any talents they have. I have a hard time saying that I have many talents. I know that I can do things, but since I do them, I can see all the flaws in them and compare it to what I perceive others can do and do better. For instance I can play the piano. However, I don't think that I play very well. I have about 10-15 hymns I can play, and the rest I stumble through. So when asked if I play the piano, I am a bit nervous to say yes in case they ask me to play something I don't know how.

Then, I can sure bake a mean batch of chocolate chip or sugar cookies. I am not afraid of saying this. I know they are good. Quite frankly, I have an ego about my chocolate chip cookies. They are really good. Thank you Sharlie for the main recipe that I then tweaked a little. My sugar cookies also are good, and they are just like the Lofthouse cookies. So close in fact, someone thought they had actually been purchased.

Then the cake decorating. I know I am able to do this, but I feel that it is only good enough for family birthdays (not that I get a lot of practice where I am at). So when I was asked to do a cake for someones wedding, I was a bit scared. I told her that I wasn't that great and the cake would be far from perfect. She doesn't seem to mind. Someone actually called me in February this year for their birthday. They wanted lime green, pink, and other colors and some stripes. Here is a picture. I look at this, and can see a couple of problems with this, but when I gave it too them, they said that it was exactly what they were hoping for and thought it was beautiful.

Then a couple of years ago, I made a wedding cake for a co-worker. She had already had a "religious" wedding, and was now getting married legally. So since she had, had the big wedding already, I did her cake. With this cake, I see the problems of it being a little lopsided in the middle layer. Also, it is a good thing you can't see the back because the fondant is not as smooth as it should be. Then again, I am told no one sees the flaws but me, and that is only because I made it.

So now, I have taken up stained glass windows. I know there are flaws in the things I create. I know they don't fit as close as they should. Also, I end up creating a few "extra" pieces because the cut was too difficult and I decided that instead of one piece of glass two will work.

So with all this said, it is hard to feel that I have a lot of talent. I can see the flaws in all my work and feel that someone else would do a better job. Then I remember, that it is amazing that I am able to do these things anyway. I am so blessed to have the nerve to do these things and try my hand at the different projects. How many years did I think about trying stained glass? I finally am doing it. It may not be perfect, however, the projects end up pretty anyway, and when I give them away as gifts, people love them. So with that said, I am blessed with many talents. It is hard to think of them as talents since I have to work hard at them, but then again, how hard did the servant have to work to get his talents to double? If I didn't work hard on them, would I be burying them and then be in a bit of trouble when finally asked what I had to show for the talents I had been given?

We all have talents and they are so different from each others talents. That is what makes this world work out so well. Where would we be if everyone had the same talents? The Lord knows what will work out for us and what talents will enrich our lives.