A Time for Talents – June 04, 2000
Every person is born with his or her own talents. Few people recognize their talents right off; it usually takes time for discovery. If you follow your heart, it will lead you in your search. A woman who thought she had no talents enjoyed reading poetry. She then began studying poetry styles, which led her to writing her own poetry. Through the years, many people have been touched by the verses she writes, and in the process she has experienced the joy of giving through her poetry.
By developing your talents, you will bring joy to your own soul. Josuah Liebman said: “Many people go throughout life committing partial suicide—destroying their talents, energies, [and] creative qualities. Indeed, to learn how to be good to oneself is often more difficult than to learn how to be good to others.”1 Discovering and increasing your talents is one way to be good to yourself, and, likely, many people will be blessed as a result of that goodness. To develop one’s talent is to give a gift of beauty to the world.
If you have the talent to play a musical instrument, to sing, or to compose, appreciate and share your gift. With practice and use it will grow, and who knows what opportunities may lie ahead. How about writing? Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Then begin—and do it. Many say, “Someday I want to write a book,” but few actually do. Or is it your desire to paint a beautiful picture? If so, now may be the time to study and learn the style and medium that will work for you, and then—do it. Whatever your desire, push yourself into making it a reality.
A man who had been quietly in the background all his life was motivated one day to follow his heart. He began sculpting with metals. As he worked on these sculptures, he seemed to come alive, and he enjoyed life with new fervor for nearly two years. Then, tragically, he was killed in a car accident. At the time of his death, he had made more than thirty different pieces, with written explanations of what each meant, and had given them to family and friends. The joy he exhibited and shared during that period of his life is a legacy for his posterity.
In scripture we are counseled to “neglect not the gift that is in thee.”2 This may be the perfect time to reach down into “the clay of your life”3 and start molding your masterpiece.
Program #3694
1. Josuah Loth Liebman, “Peace of Mind,” A Treasury of Wisdom and Inspiration (New York: A Signet Key Book, The New American Library, 1954), 103.
2. 1 Timothy 4:14.
3. Mary Ellen Smoot, “We Are Creators,” Ensign, May 2000, 65.