Monday, March 23, 2009

Talents

So I've been thinking - isn't everyone supposed to be good at something?  What is my talent?  I look at my friends: 

1. Carly - Carly is an amazing writer.  She'll publish some quality stuff some day, or the world is just messed up.  Her e-mails make me laugh more than anyone else's.  Even if she's just saying "hi" in one line, somehow she makes it entertaining.

2. Codi - Codi's a genius.  She actually LIKES organic chemistry.  I feel that this in itself is a talent.  Anyone who likes orgo is something special.  Codi's going to solve global warming some day, I just know it. I would vote for her for president even though she's a democrat.

3. Beth - Beth is out to win the world over for Christ.  She's been just about everywhere doing it, and she's good at it, too.  She's been to what, 3 or 4 continents in the past few years?  And she's such a light for Christ - that's awesome.  She leaves for Italy in two months.  YAY for her.

4. Rex - Rex is good at making friends.  Example: We both work in the cafeteria, and he knows EVERYONE, and I know no one.  Today he came to the section I work in, goes up to the guy I am working with, and is like, "Good luck on your exam today, man."  I had no idea this guy had an exam today.  I don't even know his name!  He (Rex) is also friends with the janitor who cleans his floor - he's this old divorced hippie guy, and Rex is all, "Eric's so cool - we're gonna work out together."  WHAT?  Oh, and I swear it seems like he knows every girl on campus.  Every time we go out some girl comes up and is like, "Oh my gosh REX! It is so good to SEE you!" (in that annoying girly high-pitched tone).  So anyway, Rex is friends with everyone he comes in contact with.  That is an awesome talent.

5. Josh - Josh knows everything about computers.  If there's ever a computer problem I have ever had, Josh is like, "Oh, well clearly *lotsofcomputertermsIdon'tunderstand*, and you need to *lotsofcomputertermsIdon'tunderstand,* and then he fixes it for me.  Presto!  Oh, and he built his own computer, which is fully functional and he uses it on a daily basis.  This is very cool.

6. Betsy - Betsy is good at photography.  I'm not even sure if she knows this since she's not really doing anything with it professionally (I don't think), but she totally has an eye for it.  I look at some of the pictures she's taken and I'm like, "Whoa...how did she do that?" (Example for those of you who know her: the profile pic with the white background and the half a face thing? AWESOME). She's good at art in general, and writing too, but she's so smart in other areas I think she just can't decide which she likes best.  I personally really like her photos, though.

6. My dad - I don't know if this counts as a friend since he's my dad, but I'm counting him.  My dad is good at getting weird jobs.  We are in this awful economy, yet my dad's options are overflowing and he is turning jobs down.  He does the weirdest things, too.  My dad has been (in no particular order): A model, a salesman, a superhero (I'm not kidding), a roofer, a businessman, a TV actor, a TV cameraman, a computer consultant, a coach, and a teacher.  WHAT? Who DOES all of this stuff?  I applied for about 35 jobs before I found one on campus.  My dad can't decide which jobs sound like the most fun for him to pick.  Umm...okay.

So anyway, the list of friends with talents goes on and on, but it brings the question: what am I good at?  The only thing I know of that I am especially good at is training my pet rat. (Right now she's learning to jump through a hoop, and she's doing really well!).  There are two problems with this talent.  #1 - It will never be useful in life. Ever.  #2 - No one but me thinks this is cool.  Well, maybe Cindy thinks it's cool because she gets to hang out with me and eat treats when she does her tricks right, but I don't think she quite counts.  So what am I doing with my life?  I feel like everyone has a talent that they can use for God's glory, but it seems that I don't have anything to offer.  I mean, if God has a use for a rat trainer in His kingdom, sign me up.  I just don't feel that He needs one, though.  I'm twenty years old; it's too late in life for any natural talents to magically spring up.  I'm never going to win the olympics.  I'm never going to be Yo-yo Ma.  I'm not going to be the next J.K. Rowling or even the next Meg Cabot.  So what am I useful for?  This isn't meant to be all emo, but honestly introspective.  If God put me here, then I must be good for something.

So what is it?

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for the compliment!
    You might've noticed I'm sort of backtracking and reading through your old blogs when I get bored!
    It's funny that you would say all that stuff because I have always thought that you were so good at EVERYTHING, and even back in 4th and 5th grade, I have old journals and stuff that talk about how all the boys will like you when we get older because you are so smart and fun and talented etc. :)
    I guess maybe we all struggle with these same kinds of insecurities and times when we can't seem to find purpose. It all evens out in the end, but now that we're in college, it seems like all we can think about is how we're going to be useful in the "real world". Sometimes I have trouble remembering that the "real world" is in heaven, and all that, so I spend a lot of time wondering why I'm totally wasting my life....!
    Anyway, this is a wildly rambling comment.
    All that to say I enjoyed the post :)

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