Talents

Published: March 14, 2020, midnight

b'Every week, Anna\\u2019s youth group offered volunteer opportunities. She watched her friends sign up to visit the nursing home or bake treats for a church fundraiser. Could I really help? she thought. She felt awkward imagining striking up a conversation with a stranger. And she\\u2019d tried baking cookies once, but her younger brother had taken one bite and spit it out.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153You can come with me to the nursing home,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d her friend Ellie suggested. But when they visited the nursing home, Anna liked the people but didn\\u2019t feel like she was good at talking with them. She went home feeling discouraged.\\nThat evening, as she sat down at the table with her sketchpad, her mom joined her.\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I want to help people, but I\\u2019m not good at anything,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d Anna told her mom. \\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153That\\u2019s not true,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d her mom said. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Think about it. What talents do you have?\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\nAnna\\u2019s brows lowered. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I don\\u2019t have a talent.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Sure, you do,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d said Mom, pointing to Anna\\u2019s sketchpad. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Look what you\\u2019re doing.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d \\nAnna frowned. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153Drawing? That won\\u2019t help people.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\n\\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153It could. You could draw pictures for the people at the nursing home. And you could make cards for church members who are sick.\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d\\nIt didn\\u2019t seem like enough. Anna looked at her drawing. It was a simple picture of a bird, but could it make someone happy?\\nBefore her next youth group meeting, Anna worked on several more drawings. She told her pastor her mom\\u2019s idea. \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153I love it!\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d he said.\\nAnna smiled. Drawing wasn\\u2019t a traditional way to volunteer, but she loved using her gift to show Jesus\\u2019 love to others. \\u2022 Bethany Acker\\n\\u2022 As Christians, we\\u2019re all called to love and serve others, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ (Galatians 6:9-10). We have an opportunity to glorify Christ in every talent and task (Colossians 3:17, 23-24). What are some of your talents? How could you use those talents to serve others? \\nTherefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone\\u2014 especially to those in the family of faith. Galatians 6:10 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\nGalatians 6:9-10; Colossians 3:17, 23-24'