I enjoy listening to Dr. David Jeremiah preach and I usually find myself listening to him multiple times each week. He recently shared an illustration about a man which caused me to do a little more research on him. The man’s name was Pablo Casals, and he is considered by some to be the greatest cellist who ever lived. His love for music started early in life. By the age of four, he could play the violin, piano, and flute. At the age of eleven, he heard the cello for the first time, and it changed his life. From that point on, he dedicated himself to the cello.
His dedication paid off as he would go on to have a distinguished career playing the cello. His music career spanned over eight decades. He had the distinction of playing for both President Theodore Roosevelt and President John F. Kennedy. Even when he reached the pinnacle of success, he never ceased to faithfully practice his cello. At the age of ninety-three, he still practiced three hours a day. When asked why, he answered, “I think I am making progress. I think I can see some improvement.” What an astonishing and challenging thing for him say.
The truth is that God has given each of us talents, gifts, and skills that we can use for His kingdom. We all have something we can do for Him. However, reading about Pablo Casals, I found myself wondering if I am doing my best to sharpen my skills. Am I doing my best to keep growing and developing the gifts He has given me? Am I doing my best to improve a little more each day? Am I settling for good enough or am I pushing myself to keep learning and growing? If God has given me a talent or gift to be used for His kingdom, shouldn’t I make certain I am giving it my best effort?
“And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.” Colossians 3:17. If everything I do is meant to honor and glorify Him, then I should want to do my absolute best for Him in every way. Honesty forces me to confess that this does not always happen, my friend. Far too often, I am not pushing myself as much as I could. I have been challenged and convicted by the example set by Pablo. I want to have that same hunger to keep improving and desiring to get better.
I don’t want to settle for “good enough” when I could keep improving. I don’t want this for my sake; I want it because I need to know that I did my best to honor what He entrusted me with. If you think about it, this covers more than just talents and gifts. It covers every area of our lives. For the believer, every part of our lives is an opportunity to shine for Him, bringing Him honor and glory. He has given us His very best, our love and gratitude should cause us to want to do the same. It is my hope that with each passing year, I am a little more like Him than I was the year before.
I hope that I will make it my goal to continue improving and growing. I hope that like Pablo, I will not settle for anything less than my very best. Erma Bombeck said, “When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and I could say, ‘I used everything You gave me.’” This sounds like a really good goal for all believers to aspire to. Whatever talent He has given you, dear heart, I hope that like me, you have been challenged to invest time intentionally trying to keep improving for His glory and for His kingdom.
Katrina Douglas
