Just Do It!

So Monday night I was doing a little weight lifting in the living room during one of my favorite shows (The Sing-off) and I told Zack, “I used to hate weight lifting cuz it was so hard. But now that I’ve been doing it awhile and I’m getting stronger, I don’t mind it as much.”

He replied with his usual Mom, you’re cluless edge to his voice, “That’s the way it is with everything.”

He’s right of course. I knew that. It’s obvious. The more you do something, the easier it gets. What’s weird is how it still surprises me when it happens.

For example, I’ve been playing guitar for years now, but I’ve never really been all that great at it. Then a few weeks ago I started practicing daily and guess what. I’m actually starting to sound pretty good. My scales are improving, and the torturous F-chord hardly sounds tortured at all. How did it happen? Not overnight. It happened because I worked at it. Day after day after day, and I got better.

Dah.

But for some reason, I’m still a little amazed by this. Maybe it’s less amazing to a 16-year old, because he’s been learning new things for as long as he can remember. But I’ve been an adult for a while now, and at some point I guess I plateaued. I stopped learning new things, because I stopped working at learning new things. Maybe you’ve been there too. You know enough to function and you figure, why do any more? Besides, learning new stuff is hard. And it gets harder the older you get!

But I’m here to urge you to keep learning new things. Exercise the muscles God gave you. Practice the many talents you've been given. Nurture those gifts. Stretch that beautiful brain of yours. Don't get stuck in a rut. Live it up! It’s not only good for you. It’s God’s will too.

Here’s a little illustration to help explain what I’m talking about.

Imagine someone you love is about to celebrate their birthday. Because they are so special to you, you decide to make them an extra-special gift. A sweater. You pick out just the right kind of yarn, in their favorite color, and find the perfect pattern in a style you know will look great on them. When you have everything you need, you begin to knit and knit and knit until it’s finally finished. You wrap it up quickly but neatly. You can’t wait for them to see it.

The big day arrives. You hand over your special gift and hold your breath as they tear open the box. You watch this person’s face, waiting to see the joy your gift has brought reflected in their eyes.

But it doesn’t happen. Instead, the gift is tossed aside with hardly a glance. Before you know it, they’ve left the party, and the gift, without even saying thanks. You look at the now crumpled garment and you shake your head. How could they not see how beautiful it is? How beautiful it would look on them? If only they had tried it on. But they didn’t even do that. They just tossed it aside.

If you haven’t figured it out, this story is a parable. The person with the birthday is you. And the one who made you a special gift, is none other than God himself. The sweater is all of your gifts and talents. He’s picked them out just for you, and he’s given them to you to use! Not to toss aside. He wants you to use them, and enjoy them, and be thankful for them too!

Are you? Are you using your gifts? Are you enjoying them? Are you thankful for them?

I know it’s hard, because sometimes we don’t think the gift fits. We think, “That sweater will never look good on me.” But I’m saying, try it on! Trust in the One who made it for you and wear it for a while. See what people say when they see you wearing it out in public. I can almost guarantee you’ll get a bunch of compliments. People will say, “Boy. That sure looks good on you!” And you can say, “Thanks! I like it too. It was a gift from my dad.”


Romans 12: 6 – 8 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Or as Nike says… Just do it!

Thinking of all your excuses? Think instead about Joni (pronouced like Johnny) Eareckson Tada. When she was a teenager she dove headfirst into too-shallow water and broke her neck, leaving her a quadriplegic. Since then she's become a successful artist, singer, writer, and inspirational speaker. Here's a short video of her talking about using your gifts.

Joni Eareckson Tada on Art