God has created us each for doing certain things well. We each have our own raw talent and natural gifts. But this doesn’t mean we can skip our training. Our gifts must be effectively pruned to produce quality fruit.
Professional athletes, singers, and the like all have to practice to excel at their craft. But more than just cultivating their talent, they must also be diligent in pruning their gift. This is what the apostles did when they declined helping the widows in need in order to focus on their ministry of the word – saying no to good things to focus on the excellence God had called them to.
And it is in this same way we must prune our gifts as well. Just because we can do something doesn’t mean we should. And the fruit we produce is mediocre at best when we spread ourselves too thin trying to do everything.
For instance, doctors cannot aid every patient, lawyers cannot take every case, and teachers cannot help every student. The wise ones learn how to discipline their talents to focus their energy on the unique work God has called them to.
Of course, this discipline starts even with their initial training. At some point one must stop “playing doctor” and submit to the rigorous training of becoming a doctor. And all too often we continue “playing” with our gifts rather than allowing ourselves to be pruned and cultivated for greater service. It is not that we are doing anything bad per se, and many might appreciate what we offer them. But we are still missing the mark when we’re not pursuing the highest good God has for us.
In the end, raw talent is most effective when it is pruned. Natural gifts do not negate the need for discipline and training.
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