Talents!

For the past few days, this word talent keeps popping up from time to time. Tues, i was tasked to lead ice breakers for the zone meeting. I led this game call CK got talents. It's pretty similar to the TV show America got talents. I got a few 'volunteered' contestants to stage and got them to showcase their talents. Some sang, played guitar, dance and one is able to recite the names of 40 Asean countries. Eventually the singer who sang an Andy lau song bagged the winner with the most votes.

On Sat, i happened to see on TV this programme, top earning celebrities couple of the world. Some of the top couples are David & Victoria Beckham, Brad Pitts and Angelina Jolie, Will Smith & Jada Pinkett, Tom cruise & Katie Homes. The top award goes to Beyonce and Jay-Z, a whopping nearly US$100 million in just a year!

To most of us would be thinking, we've worked so hard 9 to 5 each day going through all the stress at work and earn a far cry of just a few thousand dollars each month. How is it that these people just play football, act and sing and they can earn so much more?

The answer lies in how we make use of the talent given to us.

The bible is a very practical book. It teaches us principles of life that if we can apply it. There is endless of possibilities we can achieve in this lifetime.
In Gen 8:22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night shall not cease. And in the parables, Jesus also quoted about the Master's instructions for the servants to invest the talents given to them irregardless of whether you have 1, 2 or 5 talents.

What makes all these celebrities rich and famous? I believed what they did right was to pursue their talents, invest it and grab the opportunities when it comes. Of course you might justify some are just born lucky with good looks, natural talents. But it doesn't mean the rest of us are not. I believed if we were to dig deep into understanding who we are and what has God given to us, we will be amazed of what some of the things we can discover. Most of us are made to choose to do a lot of things outside your choice. I've seen some parents sending their child at the age of 4-5 for music classes, dance classes etc wanting their sons or daughters to be so and so in the future. And in school we made choices not based on what we like, probably through peers or societal influence and other factors. I remembered at my Uni days, i was given an opportunity to train snooker/pool with the top coach in Singapore with the rest of the national team. This was something i loved to do and would spend hours and hours of playing and practising. However reality struck, I came to know that our national top players are paid a miserable $5/ hr for their trainings and each day they are only able to claim $15 max each day plus just a small amount of allowance each year. They had to depend on their winnings from tournaments which ranges from hundreds to most a couple of thousands for a local tournament. I was thinking how am i able to survive with this sort of income! That was a huge deterent for me at that time not to pursuing this dream to become a national player. But looking back, perhaps if i were to persist back then, i may have a chance to continue move on beyond the local scene and have a go with the top international players unlike now which now i can only admire them online through youtube.

Things took a turn when i came to know God and i discover another passion. I was greatly inspired by Pastor Kong's weekly messages. I told myself i wanted to be someone like him encouraging and inspiring people through the Word of God. In my second year of coming to church, i enrolled into SOT despite objections from my parent to take up this 10-month course in the midst of my Uni days. Upon graduating, shortly i was given opportunity to lead a cg and now i'm helping to lead a subzone of 160 members.

Although i may not be earning millions now which i hope in the future i would. I'm glad that i'm able to pursue something i'm passionate about. Where will this lead to i do not know exactly. Maybe God will reveal something more to me in time to come.

Are you living your life pursuing your passion today?