Talents for Him

        I love the flute. Ever since I saw a lady playing one during a performance when I was about six years old, I knew I wanted to play. I purchased my first (and only) flute at a used instrument sale when I was in the fifth grade. I was so proud of my flute, but my band teacher (at the public school where I was attending at the time) told me not to put the flute together. She even went as far to say that I could not even take it out of the case! Those few days before I had my first lesson tested my patience as I sat and gazed at my flute and wished I could just hold in it in my hands. I dreamed of picking it and playing a beautiful song for the first time. I know, a crazy dream, but at 11 years old I had high hopes. 
        The day finally arrived for my first lesson. My band instructor taught me how to carefully put the three pieces together, hold it correctly, and make a sound in the mouthpiece. After I was finished she showed me how to properly clean it and put it back in the case. After that day, I was allowed to take it out and play it whenever I wanted. The more the better, because it meant I was practicing. True, I soon found out it was not always fun to play and practice. Some songs were extremely difficult and after plugging through all those blacks notes for a day or two, I would set the music aside, exasperated and discouraged. Who ever said learning scales and syncopation was easy and exciting? One thing I did discover was that after setting it aside for some time, it was not quite so hard when I picked it back up again. 
        I have now been playing the flute for 27 years. I played in a band for my first year, and then began taking private lessons when I started homeschooling in sixth grade, which I took for 7 years. The summer of 1991 I attended a camp in Stowe, Vermont for a week. At the end of the week we put on a big performace for the parents of the students. 
        I played during every church service for 6 years when I was a teenager, and then again in my early twenties before I was married. I have played with people who knew how to play other instruments really well, and I have also learned to play with people who sang and played off-key. I can play music by ear and I can read music. I played one night in a group for my friend’s high school basketball team. I learned to play in all kinds of situations and loved every minute of it.
        After I got married in 1998, I put the flute down for a few years. I did not have time to focus on it as I began having children, but it often beckoned to me to come pick it up and play a song or two. 
        I am happy to say that my flute won out and I play in the evening church services again, and sometimes I participate in small group specials. I love using the gift God has given me. And I still have the same flute I bought 27 years ago. 
        My daughter loves the flute and wants me to teach her how to play.  I am excited to be able to pass on this legacy to one of my children and hopefully, 27 years later, she will still be playing and passing on her talents to her children. 
       Music is mentioned in the Bible a lot. Make sure you include good, Godly music in the lives of your children. God may have given them a talent that is worth sharing with the world. If they have an interest in an instrument or demonstrates a unique talent, do not squash their desire. Find a way to make it work and see what God has in store for that child's life. 
         In closing, make sure you train your children to use their talents for Him and not in a worldly fashion. God does not get any glory or praise when it is all about fame and appearance. Let Him lead your children and pray they follow His leading and will for their lives in the area God has blessed them.

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