I heard a quote the other day by Leo Buscaglia, which really put things into perspective for me. The quote goes like this: “Your talent is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift back to God.”
Let me explain how it impacted me. When I started to meditate on the quote, I got stuck on the word “talent,” and my mind kept going from singing to dancing, painting, or whatever you could identify as a talent. I was a bit upset because I don’t possess any of those talents. I can’t sing, I’m not a good dancer, I paint like a five-year-old child, and if you are reading this, you can tell that I can’t write. So what talent?
And then it hit me. I consider talent only what other people validate. So therefore, if people don’t validate me, I am not talented, so I must have no talent or gift from God. How weak and stupid is that point of view? So, first of all, why am I searching for validation from other people? And second, why is God’s validation not enough? What am I missing?
I was missing my own validation. I made the mistake of seeking on the outside what I already had within. I was putting people around me on a pedestal and waiting for them to validate me to make me feel important or alive.
God validates every one of us by waking us up in the morning. Not everybody that went to sleep last night also woke up this morning. If you are still here, that means you are validated and gifted by God. “Here you go, my child, one more day for you.” What an amazing gift life is.
One more day, another chance to be part of the solution, not the problem. The fact that you can speak is a talent. One more day to tell someone you love them or to say, “I am here for you,” or “Thank you,” or “I forgive you,” or “I appreciate you,” or “I am proud of you.” Speaking, the ability to communicate by making noise is a fantastic talent. What about the ability to give and receive a proper hug? What a talent! Seeing, loving, breathing, walking. The ability to use your hands in a magic way to put together a bunch of ingredients and create, out of nothing, someone’s favorite meal. And the list goes on and on.
God has filled us with talents, and He blesses us daily with life and the opportunity to use our talents to make Him proud that He created us.
The only thing standing between God and us is the validation we need from others. So stop searching for validation from other people because you will never get it. God validated you if you are alive today, so you can also validate yourself.
He made you, and with Him, you are complete. You are alive, and you are loved; you are abundant, you are beautiful, you are strong, you are perfect. So start a relationship with Him, and He will show you all you can be and do.
Focus more on “being,” not on “having”. Validate yourself, be light, and shine as bright as you can! Doing that will encourage those around you to do the same.
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not ower darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God! Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There’s nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us: it’s in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
Nelson Mandela
Be light!
With love, yours truly, Cristian.