Read: Romans 12:4-8

BLATT! BLATT! BLATT! Brayden was sitting in front of the music stand with his trombone, moving the slide, when Dad walked in holding a baseball and glove.

“Hey, Brayden,” Dad said. “How about taking a break to play catch?”

In the backyard Dad threw easy tosses to Brayden, who then threw them back. “How’s the trombone going?” Dad asked.

Brayden shrugged. “Okay, I guess.”

“What does your teacher ‘guess’?” Dad asked as he threw a little to Brayden’s left, making him reach for it.

“She guesses I’m not practicing. But I am practicing! It just doesn’t seem to help at all.”

“Mom told me that when the furnace man was here yesterday, he thought one of the smoke detectors was malfunctioning.” Dad chuckled, then quickly stifled it and threw the ball way to Brayden’s left.

Brayden sprinted and caught the ball in the webbing of his glove. “You’re not going to say I should give up, are you?”

“Great catch!” Dad exclaimed.

“I never give up! Never!” Brayden threw the ball back. “You taught me that.”

“I taught you that so you wouldn’t be a quitter. Every skill takes time to develop, and you need patience to get through the difficult parts of learning. I know you’re not a quitter, Brayden, but that doesn’t mean you should keep doing something just because you don’t want people to think you’re giving up—that can actually be a form of pride.”

“So you’re saying I shouldn’t play the trombone?” asked Brayden.

“No, I’m not saying that,” said Dad. “I’m saying that God has gifted each of us in unique ways, and sometimes He’ll direct us away from one thing and toward another. We need to be open to His leading and trust Him to help us develop the gifts He wants us to use to help others and point them to Jesus. If we try something and sense Him leading us in a different direction, it’s okay to move on and try other things.”

“So if the trombone isn’t one of my gifts, what should I work on instead?”

Dad smiled and looked down at the baseball in his hand. “I’m sure you’ll think of something.” He threw the ball high above Brayden’s head, and Brayden jumped up and caught it.

–William Grimm

How about you? Have you been struggling to get better at something and it just doesn’t seem to be working? It’s important to give yourself time to develop your skills whenever you try something new, but you also need to be willing to move on if God leads you in a different direction. Trust Him to help you develop the gifts He’s given you and use them the way He wants you to. On that, never give up!

Today's Key Verse: Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. Romans 12:6 (NKJV)

Today's Key Thought: Develop the gifts God’s given you