When I was five years old, I attended a Christmas concert and to this day only one performance remains vivid in my mind. A girl was on stage, only a few years older than me, and she held between her knees what looked to me like a massive violin. It was a beautiful cherry oak sheen but what captivated me were the warm and mellow tones that resonated out of the instrument as she played “Amazing Grace”. I learned that this beautiful instrument was a cello.

Something in my heart told me that I was meant to play this instrument. I never told anybody that I wanted to play the cello, I kept this desire silent in my heart. But God knew.

Fast-forward to the 6^th grade. I had just moved from New York to North Carolina and I absolutely hated it. Wherever we went there was only flat yellow grass. No people walking on the streets, no buses, nothing. I hated North Carolina. But God knew exactly what I needed.

There was an opportunity in my middle school to play in the orchestra. I meekly presented to my mother that I wanted to be a part of it. However, I was only in the 6^th grade and you could only enter the orchestra from the 7^th grade. My mom marched me straight to the band room after school and found a way to enroll me. The teacher asked me what instrument I wanted to play and I told her the cello. I didn’t know it but God had heard my heart’s request and was making them come true. Apparently, the orchestra needed a cellist badly and had an extra one in storage that the teacher was simply willing to let me borrow and take home to practice. It was almost too good to be true. I imagine God smiling at his work in this moment.

From that day, I went home and practiced the cello watching videos for at least three hours a day. There was nothing that I looked forward to more. Very quickly, I advanced in my skills and my parents (bless them) bought me a very cheap cello off of Ebay to call my very own. I quickly rose in the ranks of the orchestra to soon grace first chair by that very first year of playing.

There was no stopping. I went on to excel to play in the country orchestra, the regional, and soon even the state orchestra. I went to governor’s school, represented my school’s quartet, played in front of the governor, and got to compose my own little pieces for local and school talent shows.

I entered college and I stopped playing. Academics were important, I had to excel in them. But one day, I went to church on a Sunday morning and took a look at the worship team. God nudged my heart to ask, “Grace, why have you not used your talents for me?” God had shaped every step of my life to make sure that my heart’s desires were granted and I had not given one thought to praising him through the cello.

Immediately, I auditioned to play for my campus ministry and it was my saving grace during college. It was God’s gift to me once again, a reminder that God knew my heart’s desires and was granting me peace in the time he found necessary.

I wanted to share this story because there are times when you can be convinced that God isn’t there or that He isn’t listening. But, God heard my heart’s desires as a five year old and made sure to carry them out to bring me the experiences and joys of playing the cello to this day. I found that opportunities and doors opened and even flung wide as I used my talents more and more for God’s glory.

What talents has God given you that you could be using to glorify His name? God has granted each and every one you gifts and talents that are unique to you. Use them to pursue your dreams, to pursue your career, and to make the difference you want to in this world. 

If you’re finding yourself in a place where you keep asking yourself “Am I even good at anything?” or “I don’t know what to do as a job or with my life” you probably have not processed or come to a realization of the gifts that God has granted you. It’s definitely a process and not one that comes quickly. (I’m still figuring it out) Feel free to e-mail at jadoregrace@gmail.com if you’d like to have someone to talk with to try to understand or process through events in your own life.