Using Your Gifts to Glorify the Lord and Bless Your Family

Oftentimes, when people find that I am a home-educated young lady living at home, they stiffen up a bit and remark, "If you're spending all your time at home, then aren't you wasting your talents?" If you're a young lady who has decided to live at home under the protection of your Father until the day he hands you in marriage to the love of your life, maybe you've had this reaction before as well. Sometimes, people on the "outside" have a hard time seeing things from your perspective. Firstly, let me note that I don't say "outsider" in a derogatory manner at all. What I mean by the phrase is someone with a different view point than yours. For example, if you live in the country and step out onto your back porch and see the mountains in all their glory, it would be difficult for someone, who has grown up in the city and never traveled, to imagine the view you get. Have I clarified myself? Good. 

"For What are the Voices of Birds" by Eleanor Fortescue Brickdale

If you have talents (e.g.; cooking, sewing, writing or playing music, singing, managing taxes, wrangling alligators, etc.) it's a common assumption that since you "spend all your time at home", you're locked in a dungeon of uselessness. This is the opposite of the truth! The years that you have at home can be some of the most talent-useful years of your life! The people that make these seemingly-ignorant comments are operating on the assumption that all you do is sit on the couch in your PJs, do schoolwork and change diapers. Coming from that angle, it would be easy to justify their questions. 

One of my goals in living at home is to be a blessing to my family. To come under the headship of my Father and further his vision as is Biblically accurate. It is my JoY (see my Mom's blog) to serve my family and that is actually where I have the most opportunity to use my gifts and talents! And I must stop to clarify again; often, the word serve is associated with bad or unpleasant things. I beg to differ! When I get the opportunity to do as Jesus did and spend my time and talents to bless those around me, I'm content and happy. 

Art by Jessie Wilcox Smith

Now, on to practicality beyond sentiment :) The point of this post is not to say "thou must not use thy talents outside thine dwelling place"! This is merely a suggestion that your talents, whatever they may be, were given to you by God to reflect Him and to bless those around you. If God has given you a talent for music, be it playing an instrument, singing or writing new music (or all of the above), I believe that your musical skills are far from being "wasted" on your family! Teaching your little sister how to play the piano or scoring your brother's short film is anything but wasting your talents. And I'm certainly not decreeing that you shouldn't play in the band at church or offer to teach the young children in your community how to sing or play.

 If you are a Christian, the ultimate goal of your life is to give glory to God and lead others to Him. When we, as gifted young ladies, use the talents that He has bestowed upon us to bless Him and others, that is fulfilling one aspect of the way He designed us! Jesus knew that He had a limited time on Earth, yet even with that in mind, He served others without self-focus. He could have been off preaching to the masses when he took the time to bless the little children (Matthew 19:13-15). And I think that following Jesus' example is an excellent idea!

Blessings,
McKenna