Every week my mom serpentined through Chicago traffic during rush hour to get me to piano lessons on time. I could not be late. Dr. Whang was strict, but with good intentions. She desired for her students to be the best they could be. With her subtle but firm tone, she taught us that precision and practice were paramount for progressing pianists. 

In the early years of piano, I was required to practice 30 minutes a day. I stumbled through scales and struggled to follow the metronome that helped me keep time. Competence was born out of repetition. But through the years, I began to look forward to this daily date with the ebony and ivory keys. My practice sessions extended longer as the pieces grew harder. The music moved through my fingers and settled my soul. 

My mama was from a blue-collar family that couldn’t afford piano lessons when she longed for them as a child. She often listened from the kitchen while I practiced. She was chopping onions and swirling ruby red sauce in the pot, while my fingers danced over the keys.

Mama told me over and over — sometimes with tears brimming in her eyes — how much my practicing and performing blessed her. She believed I had God-given musical talent and wanted me to have every opportunity to pursue it. 

Dr. Whang believed in me too. She challenged me with concertos and inspired me with symphonies. She even supported me beyond my lessons. One time she took the train from downtown to come see me sing as Liesl in “The Sound of Music” at my high school. 

I ended up taking piano for nine years — performing in recitals, winning local contests, and playing special numbers at church. I discovered that God grants us gifts and talents that need to be tended over time. We don’t just wake up one day as a concert pianist. Playing a musical instrument requires practice, patience, and plenty of perseverance. 

The apostle Paul gives us perspective about perseverance in his letter to the church in Collossae: “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving” (‭‭Colossians‬ ‭3‬:‭23‬-‭24 NIV‬).

Paul was helping to reframe our efforts. Everything we practice or work at presents an opportunity to serve God wholeheartedly. We can look beyond the expectations of earthly masters and measures of success. 

Maybe you’ve never played an instrument, but you have practiced a sport or rehearsed for a play or concocted a new recipe. Maybe you feel frustrated or forlorn because that book you wrote was rejected or you weren’t chosen for the part. He gives us gifts and talents to grow. We don’t start with a perfect product or a pristine performance. Gifts and talents take time to bloom.

My new kids book, Kailani’s Gift, echoes this same message. Kailani needs to have the courage to try something new. Even though she doesn’t master it right away, Kailani perseveres. The tinikling dance is challenging, but it is also rewarding when she can offer it as a gift to her grandparents. We all might be clumsy with new things at first, but if we push through the awkwardness and have fun, we can bless others with what we have learned.

I wrote the first draft of Kailani’s Gift more than a decade ago. The manuscript was rejected and praised throughout the years. I consider it a sweet gift that my girl will finally grace bookshelves. Despite years of discouraging setbacks, the time is now.

The good news about gifts and talents is God takes the same posture as my mama did about my piano playing. He is proud of us whether we are stumbling through practice or performing on a stage. He does not require perfection. God cares more about the orientation of our hearts. 

We are called to use our talents and passions to bless those in our community for His glory.

Peter illuminates this: “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms” (1 Peter 4:10 NIV). In this way, we offer our gifts back to the Giver. 

Now my 15-year-old daughter plays keys for the school worship band. She helps lead music with her team in chapel service every couple of weeks. My heart swells as I listen to her practice late at night and play with the student band. She writes lyrics and composes songs that carry us through our grief. Her creative gift of music blesses my mama heart in much the same way I had the opportunity to bless my mama years ago. 

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Dorina Gilmore-Young is the award-winning author of a new picture book, Kailani’s Gift, which is a celebration of family, Filipino heritage, and dance that showcases the value of patience, perseverance, and blessing others with your gifts and talents. As Kailani watches her siblings practice a traditional Filipino dance for their grandparent’s anniversary party, she longs to join them. But keeping up with the rhythm and hopping in time with the beats of the tinikling is much harder than Kailani imagined! With Daddy’s help, Kailani practices the motions of the dance step by step. But will she be able to learn the tinikling in time to surprise her Lolo and Lola? Illustrator Lynnor Bontigao’s work pairs exquisitely with Dorina’s storytelling to celebrate Filipino culture and traditions.

Get your copy today. . . and leave a comment below for a chance to WIN a copy*!

Then join Becky Keife this weekend on the (in)courage podcast for a conversation with Dorina about cultivating our God-given talents and the beauty of learning about other cultures. Don’t miss it!

Listen to today’s devotion at the player below or wherever you stream podcasts.

*Giveaway open until 4/21/24 at 11:59 pm central to US addresses only.

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