Gifts and Talents

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

Guys, I'm book-smart.
     Now PLEASE, PLEASE, don't think I'm trying to brag. Being smart doesn't make me any better than anyone else. Period. Exclamation point. That's precisely what I want to talk about in this post.
      Since coming to college, being book-smart is actually something I've struggled with appreciating about myself. I get a lot of comments along the lines of "You're so smart!" and "I could never do that!" Truly, I appreciate these compliments, but...I kind of hate them at the same time. Whenever I hear those words, I'm afraid the person speaking them is inwardly depreciating themselves at the exact same time that they're lifting me up. I know this isn't the case every time someone makes that comment but... it is in some.
      Maybe it's just me, but I feel like society places book-smart people on a pedestal. The science and math brains are the ones that get the best colleges, make the best grades, get the scholarships and get the jobs. But, in celebrating the intelligence of the math and science-inclined, society also overlooks people with amazing skills and talents that are just as important, and just as intelligent.
      Intelligence comes in different forms. Most people think it just refers to the critical thinkers, the maths, and the sciences. But I know so many people who don't make the best grades and aren't good test-takers who are also the ones with extraordinary talents, extraordinary intelligence in other areas. They might be able to strike up a conversation with anyone they meet, welcoming them in and making them feel included. It's the person who has the knack for knowing how you truly feel. Or the person who brings a kind of energy to a room that lights it up. They're the creative people. The ones who think outside the box. The people who can take a canvas, paint, and their imagination and give us a perspective that the world has never seen before. I could go on and on.
     Each and every one of us has been given different talents by our creator. There's a reason they're different talents.  If the only talents were in the math and sciences, we'd be without music, art, and so many other amazing things. If you're not book smart, it's because he has a different talent for you. If you're not artsy, it's because he gave you a different talent. If you're not either of those things, its because your gift lies elsewhere. Maybe you haven't been able to see it yet, but that doesn't mean it isn't there.
      As Thanksgiving approaches, I've been increasingly aware of everything I have to be thankful for (which is a lot!). I'm also becoming aware that I need to be thankful for the incredible talent God has given me. No, I don't like it all the time, but there's a reason I have it.
     My challenge for you is to look at your life and find your talent(s) that God's given you. Resist the temptation to envy the gifts God has given other people (which I'm guilty of too. Goodness knows how many times I've wished I was athletic or artsy!).  But instead of envy, choose thankfulness. God knew what he was doing when he made you the way you are!