Talent Show Time

“I believe that God has put gifts and talents on the inside of every one of us. When you develop that and you believe in yourself and you believe that you’re a person of influence and a person of purpose, I believe you can rise up out of any situation.” 
Joel Osteen 

Talent shows! They are always interesting and very entertaining don't you agree? Several months ago we had a fantastic talent show at my school that my students and I really enjoyed. The only problem was that many of them had auditioned for it, but sadly had not made it. This is understandable as they are very young and only so many acts can be included. It was obvious though how disappointed they were to not be able to perform, so I made them a promise. My promise was that before the school year was up,  we would have our own talent show where everyone from my class who would like to perform could do so for peers, parents and anyone else I could round up! Well today was the big day! Today we had a wonderful class talent show in our own little classroom. Desks were pushed aside. Chairs were set up and our carpet area was magically transformed into the "stage" where they were to make their big debut! Among the variety of acts were singing, dancing, comedy routines, magic tricks, hula hoop stunts and even mime theater. The really cool thing about this show is the eight year old students came up with their individual or group acts with minimal input from me. The students were so excited and very confident performing. It was wonderful and heart warming to witness. The show was such a success that we are going to do an encore performance next week for some other classes and parents who were unable to attend the original show. It was very touching for me to see the level of enthusiasm and effort the kids put into the show. I told them that each had the option of performing or simply watching the show if they preferred, yet all chose to participate which was wonderful. It is so exciting to see a child having a moment he or she will always cherish. I could tell this was to be a memory that would be filed away as something unique and special from their school days. I felt honoured to be some small part of this with them. Our grand finale was a real crowd pleaser. It was a lively rendition of Hard Knock Life from the Annie musical. When the show was over, I was so grateful that I had taken the time to allow them to showcase their talents and skills. It was so obvious that it meant so much to them as they grinned from ear to ear and took their enthusiastic, final bows. This is a memory as their teacher I will always cherish as well.   

I love to watch the show America’s Got Talent. I find it especially exciting to watch the first auditions of acts that you know are going to really make it big! It gives me goose bumps watching some auditions as you can literally sense the power of the moment. The literal moment where this person’s life is about to drastically change is unfolding. Many acts have caught my attention through the years. I felt so impressed when little Jackie Evancho took the stage. She is a young opera singer who absolutely took the audience by surprise with her polished, mature voice of an angel. I was thoroughly enthralled by Terry Fator who is an amazing ventriloquist. He sang elaborate  and complicated duets with his puppets, many who were female with perfection. Last year’ s winner Kenichi Ebina also was incredible. What he describes as a "dance- ish" performance was unreal and I am so glad he won as he was my favourite from the start. I have included his original audition below for you to enjoy. I love it when the judges ask each person or act what they are going to do and sometimes you see them smirk or roll their eyes before the act starts. The camera keeps rolling and the “judgmental” judges are later on their feet in thunderous applause with the crowd! I love it when that happens, as many people have incredible talent within them. They just haven’t had a chance to showcase it yet. 

I am a vocalist and I remember feeling that way in high school. I love to sing and had sang in church many times, but had never had an opportunity to sing at school. My chance came and I was nervous, yet incredibly excited. I hoped the crowd would receive me well. My first solo in high school was for a Remembrance Day assembly. I sang an Amy Grant song called “I’ll Be Waiting.” I was accompanied by my sister Judy on keyboards, and two friends on bass and drums. This song is about the prodigal son returning, and although it is not a Remembrance Day song, the lyrics were very suitable as it talks of someone longing for their loved one’s safe return.  This moment was so surreal. I could feel it was to be a turning point for me! I was singing a solo for my entire school and this was my dream come true. Pinch me! I also could sense to my relief and delight that people were actually enjoying it! This was the real icing on the cake! From then on I got many solos at school and my confidence soared. It was so powerful when you feel that people believe in you and support your abilities and talents! 

Many of us have talents just waiting to emerge, but may be unsure of what others may think. Don't worry about that. You will meet people on your journey in life who will celebrate you and others who treat you like you are invisible. My advice is focus on those who bring out the best in you! They are the true friends and the folks who help us become better people. I have struggled with feelings of inadequacy at times through the years. I have often wanted to do things, but felt someone else would do a better job, or was very nervous about failing, or was unsure if I should step out into unfamiliar waters. Feeling vulnerable and out of my comfort zone is not one of my favourite scenarios that is for sure. I have come to realize that life is too short and I don’t want to live with regret. I want to use the talents that God has given me to bless and help others and I pray for direction daily on how I can best do that. 

There is no one out there just like you. Of all the people in this entire universe, you are the only one who is you! Just ponder that for a moment. Isn’t God’s creativity amazing that He could create that many different kinds of special and incredibly unique people? Wow! We serve an awesome God! You, yes you, have something special to offer this world that only you can give. You may not know what it is exactly, but God does. He wants to use us for His glory if we allow Him to.  I encourage you to pray about this and make yourself open to new possibilities. God can open doors that no man can shut and take you on a journey you could not have dreamed of if you are willing. If you are discouraged remember that you are an amazing person with incredible abilities and potential. There is a “stage” out there for you and your unique audience awaits. I have many mentors along my life’s journey and one of my mentors who has helped me immensely with my writing career said to me recently, “ I am so excited for you and how your writing is taking off! I know I will look back and will be able to say that I knew her when she was just starting and now look how far she has come!” I really value his opinion and his kind words meant so much to me. When others see potential in us, it allows us to look deeper inside too and recognize what we have ready to offer this world. 

Finding our callings, passions and truly using our talents and abilities to the fullest can take time. Be patient. You will be glad you did and so will those around you as they stand to their feet and celebrate you believing in yourself and becoming all that God has for you. Your moment is coming! Can you feel it? I can and I have goose bumps!

God bless!

Dana

1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. 

Little Lesson Learned: Everyone has something he or she is good at. That something can be a great blessing and encouragement to others!

Copyright: Littlelessonslearnedbydana, 2014