Dancing in the Rain

The heat of the summer has got me bogged down a bit. I love the sun, don't get me wrong, it's just the endless days of it without some sort of break. And today, well, I got it.

Thank you, God.



I am feeling thankful today. Yesterday I talked to some young children whom I teach in church about talents.We listed them all: dancing, singing, playing the piano, even whistling - my personal favorite. We also talked about those talents we rarely see as talents:

Helping a friend
Cooking a batch of cookies to share with a friend
Reading God's word
Praying with our hearts, not just our heads

and so on.

And it got me thinking.

Rain is not only a talent that God has, it is a talent he shares with all of us - even the grass and flowers.

Writing is an obvious talent, but it becomes less of a talent if we don't share it with others - if we bury it deep in the earth for example.

And I guess that's the bottom line with talents. If you have one and don't share it, because it's only one after all, and frankly, you wish you had more, then you're missing out - maybe even missing out on the rain in exchange for mud.

Perhaps you're afraid to share your work. You will probably be criticized. Maybe even made fun of. And you wouldn't want that. If you're feeling like your talent (if indeed you have one) is only meant for you, think again.

Bring out your work. Send it off to a publisher, or get someone in your circle of friends to read it. You may hear something quite surprising. You might even sell your work. But if you don't, you'll definitely learn something.

As far as rain goes, I'd rather dance than wallow anyway, wouldn't you?