Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 ESV
For my whole professional career, I have heard one reason for why I possess the talent I have, that I was born with it. That God, from birth, blessed me with some innate talent of baseball. This sounds great, and even makes for an epic creation story. One in which, I was some how formed and molded specifically to pitch. This definitely feeds right into every player’s pride as well. That God made us so good at something that others marvel at the greatness we possess. Is this true? Do I have God given talent, which made me better then most people at baseball? Was I born, like an old Greek mythology tale, with a lighting bolt for an arm?
Despite all my sinful nature wanting to say yes, due to pride, the answer is simple, No. I was not born with a 94 mph fastball or a devastating curve ball that made hitters shake. I was simply born human. Just like everyone else. Maybe with some slightly different genetics, but for the most part, I am just like everyone else. I am not even what scouts want to see when they think of a pitcher. They want tall, long, and projectable bodies, just as if you could make a molded pitcher from heaven. I can hear a lot of you asking, “Well, if people aren’t born with God given talent, how do you explain the great talents?” To me that’s easy. Love.
There is one thing God does do for everyone, creates us in the image of Himself. Now that can mean a bunch of different things, but one attribute of that to me, is being creative. He made us creators, in a limited way, but creators, nonetheless. We imagine and create things. Some people love to create objects, some like to create art; others like myself, like to create talent. When I first saw the game of baseball I knew I wanted to play. I had a love for it. That love for it translated into wanting to play it, and get better at it on a daily basis. When you love someone, you want to spend time with that person and get to know that individual, same thing goes for the thing you love to do. This is the beginning to anything great.
When I was little, I loved a few things in my life, God, my family, and baseball. Due to this fact, that is where I spent all my time. This is where God gets involved I believe in showing you your “talent.” He will use whatever you love, (which I believe He puts certain loves in your heart) to guide you to your talent, because if you love what you do, you will spend more time on it. This time spent, will lead to getting better and better at it through experience and hard work. This is what leads to becoming great at something, not just being born with automatic skill. You have to practice.
There is no shortcut to greatness. I think a lot of people want to say, “You were born with it,” because it makes them feel better that they can’t do it. The funny thing is though, they can do a lot of things I can’t. I don’t say, they were born to be accountants, or CEO’s. No, they worked hard to become those things. They trained, went to school, practiced by studying to learn and became those things. Just like I trained almost daily from a young age to become a professional baseball player. I believe God gave me a love for what I do, that’s the gift, not a lighting bolt of an arm from the heavens. However, God in His providence, if you ask, will guide you along.
I cannot sit here and say that I did it all on my own. That I achieved all the things I have in baseball, because I alone worked hard at it. No, I needed coaches, players, and trainers to teach me the game. Without their prior knowledge, and God putting them into my life, no matter how much I loved the game, I would never learn the right way to play, much less play at a high level. This is where God’s grace and providence comes into play. James 1:17 states, “Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens.” He made everything that is good; He wants us to be good at what we do, along with enjoying them with Him. There is nothing wrong with choosing a profession you love and are working hard to be great at it. God knows we will struggle to learn, but that’s the point, in that struggle we know that we need help. Being great means you need to ask, ask God and others for help. Let them teach you, learn from them, and trust God to guide you in that journey. That’s the talent He truly gives.
He gives us a talent, the talent of love. Don’t let anyone tell you that you were born without the automatic talent so to achieve what’s in your heart isn’t possible. If God put a passion for a certain career in your heart, go for it, trust God to guide you. It is there for a reason. He may guide and change your journey, but continue to trust that He first gave you that love and He knows best where that love should go, and it always ends back in one place, God. God is love; He gives us the capability to love what we do, and others. So it makes sense that He will always guide us to the source of that love, Himself. So when you’re looking for, “God given talent,” remember its not that you’re born with it, but you are born with a love to work at it. God given talent is to love what you do and do it the best you can.
