America's Got Talent

I have a tendancy to get insecure when thinking about talented people for too long. I try to make myself feel better by wondering if "It's easier for a donkey to jump through a burning ring of fire than it is for a really talented person to enter the gates of Heaven." I feel like Jesus might have said that on one of His "off days" if he ever had one...

Last Sunday I went and saw Chronicle, which is about 3 teenagers who obtain the power of telekinesis. Without spoiling the movie, the power obviously goes to their young minds and antics ensue. I walked away from the movie feeling rather thoughtful and since then I've realized that I harbor an unhealthy amount of envy for those in our world who are blessed with incredible talent. It's so hard to deal with because everyday in America talented people are shoved in our faces on billboards, in magazines, movies, and especially television. Every reality show these days depicts thousands of extremely talented people fighting against one another to become the next best whatever. We watch the best dancers, singers, models, business men/women, and athletes face off (or show off) on the American stage and I wonder if I'm the only one looking at that hot mess of talent and asking God "How in the world is my untalented-self going to make a difference?" And that question is the very problem so many of us seek to answer.

Luke 18:27 "What is impossible for people is possible with God."
John 6:63 "Human effort accomplishes nothing."

Now I know at this point every 'good christian' out there can kind of sense my theme and wants to raise their hand and suggest Philippians 4:13 next but I'm sticking to what Jesus said for a reason. Notice, that both of these quotes give you no idea as to the actual context from which they come. They struck me first as quotes that needed no context. Initially, I just reflected on how true it is that it matters not what we can do physically, mentally, or emotionally if we do not have a divine presence in our lives. That is indeed a foundational belief that every Christian needs to internalize, especially in this DIY culture that we live in as Americans where the individual is expected to provide for everything in his/her own life and attain success only by merit of his/her personal skills. As I looked deeper into this aspect of these particular verses I wandered into the context from which they both come, and that is from Scripture in which Jesus is discussing the difficulties of attaining Salvation.

The quote from Luke is preceded by Jesus' famous teaching that it is "easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of Heaven." The quote from John is surrounded by a passage depicting Jesus' own disciples grumbling about Him and eventually walking away from His ministry. Rich men, promising religious leaders = Talented people. There's something dangerous about personal success in this life. We either have it and deify ourselves, or we idolize what it will be like to have it someday. It has the power to corrupt our minds into thinking "Well, I've made it this far through my own abilities, so why would I need something else to get me the rest of the way?" I find it especially hard in this culture as an adult feeling like everything is riding on what you do rather than what God does through you. We are often given glimpses of the expectations we face by our families, friends or the media that tell us to go out and make something of ourselves by earning a living in a practical manner so we can to support our loved ones. Eventually we start to believe that everything we gain is through our own personal effort. This is what I've come to recognize as the great blasphemy of our generation.

It's this flawed mindset that plagues me as I constantly dwell on how I, a simple person with no real extraordinary talent, could make a lasting impact in this world that seems so resilient especially in places as dark as Hollywood. But that's why I love these verses such as this for they realign our perspective on God. These verses point to the slippery slope that comes from being overly reliant on the self or obsessing over personal gain of any kind. God can and will use any tool that lays itself down before Him. Instead of worrying about how this lame tool will be able to fix any sort of substantial problem in the world, I'm just going to worry about laying myself down everyday at the feet of the Carpenter to be used whichever way seems best to Him. That's the only way I know I'll ever be truly effective. That's how we utilize our divine talent.