Several years ago, a girl was gifted with an instrument by a friend.
Her friend had found the instrument, which had been unused for several
years, and gave it away, knowing how much the girl loved music. The
instrument needed a little work, but it was still a fine object. The
girl accepted the gift with excitement and gratitude, and took it home
with her. Once she got it home, however, she opened the case and stared
with dismay at the instrument before her. She didn’t know how to play
it, and the last time she had tried she had failed. She didn’t know how
to replace the worn pieces, and couldn’t remember even the most basic
thing about playing it! The girl tucked the case away in a corner of
her room and tried to forget about it. Every now and then, she would
look at it, collecting dust, still unused, and feel ashamed for never
putting her gift to use. But in the end, her fears that it would be too
difficult and she would fail again would get the best of her, and she
would end up leaving it where it was.
Not long after, another girl
was gifted with an instrument by a friend. This friend had likewise
found her instrument, unused for several years, and given it away,
knowing how much the girl loved music. This one also needed a little
work, but was a fine instrument. Knowing that she didn’t have the power
to fix it herself, she handed her instrument over to a master to
replace the worn parts. The girl could not wait to try out her new
instrument. As soon as she got the repaired instrument home, she opened
the case and gazed at the instrument with joy and wonder. Asking for
help from someone who knew about these things, she quickly got her
instrument assembled and began experimenting with making tones. She
dedicated herself to lessons, and practiced every chance she got. Her
natural gift for the instrument quickly shone through. Her music lifted
the spirits of all who heard her.
Each of us is given gifts by the
Spirit, and we have the same choice to make as the girls in the stories
had to make. Some of the gifts we are given seem completely beyond our
ability. They may be things we have tried to do before, and failed at.
They may be difficult, or cause us to have to replace some worn parts
in our lives. But we must decide: Will we leave God’s gifts standing in
the corner of our hearts, collecting dust, unused and neglected, and
clinging to our fears? Or will we receive our gifts with joy, hand the
broken parts to our Master to repair, and learn to use our gifts in a
way that will lift the spirits of all who come into contact with us?
