How to Share Your Faith Using America's Got Talent
America's definitely got talent! All kinds of it ...as in, all kinds of it! From hoop dancing to harps. From jumping to juggling. From ventriloquists to rappin' Grannies. And some people even sing and dance. America's Got Talent is consistently landing near the top of the weekly Nielsen TV ratings because we love to be entertained by other people talent.
As you watch these unique and creative talents on public display, do you sometimes wonder how some of the contestants ever thought to develop their particularly wild and weird ability? Apparently the creative spark burns more brightly in some (or maybe they're just less inhibited...).
But where does extraordinary talent come from? Obviously, one component of talent is the result of lots of discipline, practice, and hard work. Another component is having the resources (time, money, opportunity) to focus on an area of interest and get great coaching that combines skill development and motivation. But most people would also acknowledge that when it comes to extraordinary talent, there is frequently an underlying 'natural talent' at the base that is totally unearned. As Christians we would readily give God the nod and say natural talents are a gift from Him. "They've got a God-given gift" is the phrase we frequently use to describe an extraordinary talent. Our unreached friends might say it this way - "It comes from the gene pool." (And was there a Designer who created the gene pool?)
But whether we acknowledge it or not, each time we excel at something, we are displaying the unique God-given talents we've been blessed with (and may or may not have worked hard to cultivate). The Psalms are full of expressions of thankfulness to God for the gifts He has given us. The Bible also challenges and motivates us to use what God has given us, including our talents, for God's glory. 1 Corinthians 10:31 reminds us,
"...whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God."
So next time the conversations turns to America's Got Talent, use it to move toward God talk. Here are some specific ideas to get you started:
- Ask your friends where they think talent comes from. Does it come from hard work? Good coaching? Passion? The gene pool? A gift from God? Or a combination of all of the above? Share what you believe.
- Find out if your friends have uncovered what their God-given talents are? What do they love to do and do well? Do they have any 'secret, hidden talents' you don't know about?
- Have your friends thought about how they can use those talents to help others and make the world a better place? Share about yourself and what you think your talents are. Share about God being the center of your life and what you're considering as you sort through how to use your talents to bring glory to God.
"Doing all for the glory of God" includes using your casual, everyday conversations to point people toward God. And helping that happen doesn't even take any extraordinary talent - just a simple willingness to keep God front and center in your life!
