Ma Vie en Rose

"When life hands you lemons..."

"Make apple juice?"

-Sky High

God's delay is not God's denial. That is the phrase that I took away from our Holiday Workshop. Thank you, Cheryl Banks. For so long I had been upset at myself. Was I not good enough? Was I doing it wrong? Was I never going to make it?

Thanks for setting me straight.

Our sermon this past weekend was about talents. We reviewed Matthew 25 and the parable of the talents. Our preacher then gave a sermon on discovering our talents and using them as God has designed us to use them for His glory. It was a gentle slap in the face. A loving wake-up call. I cried, even though I fought hard not to. For so long I've ignored my God-given talent. Or maybe before now I just never saw it for what it was.

Bert (our pastor) suggested that if we didn't know what our talent was, we should consider what others have told us we're good at. I thought about it, and came up with lots of things people have said I am good at doing. But they all had one thing in common: I was a teacher.

I've had people tell me I was a great music teacher. That I loved my students and cared about them enough to praise them to success, work with them and encourage them and turn out honor band players.

I've had people tell me I should be a marriage counselor. Why? Because I love instructing people on what I've learned about Biblical marriage. And what is a marriage counselor but a marital instructor?

I have been told that I am an excellent financial counselor. I really enjoy getting to know my students, helping them realize God's plan for their life and their money, and instructing them on getting out of debt, making good investments, saving, and teaching their children.

It gives me no greater pleasure than to hear my daughter tell me the phonetic sound of letters as she's learning to read. I taught her that.

In my Mary Kay business, I instruct women on how to apply makeup, take care of their skin (not just on their face, but on their whole body), have better self-esteem, and sometimes even build successful businesses of their own. I have been told that I'm good at it.

What all of these things have in common is that in each instance, I was a teacher. And I loved each thing with every fiber of my being. They are some of my most precious memories. I wouldn't mind doing any one of them as a lifetime career.

So, I recognize my talent as a teacher and willingly embrace it, for in the moments I have taught have I been the happiest. I assume it's a genetic thing. For now, I am going to teach my way into Directorship in God's time (not mine), and then it will financially free up some time for me to maybe eventually take on a few music students again. Here's to making apple juice from lemons...

:)

Leaving today with a smile in my pocket and a contented heart.