There was a week left until the first annual talent show at Castlewood High School, and Mitzi was more than excited about it. With a song that she had been rehearsing since she first heard that her school would be having a talent show, she felt that she couldn't fail. The only problem she faced was her astonishing lack of self-esteem.
Despite her fear of performing in front of a crowd, she intended to blow everyone away...somehow. Somehow she would pull through. Somehow she'd amaze everyone in the crowd and take home first place.
It was afternoon, and all of the students had just been dismissed as Mitzi shut her locker. As she journeyed down the hallway, she was stopped by the sound of upbeat music emitting from the auditorium. As Mitzi's curiosity got the best of her, she walked in the direction of the auditorium and peered through the open doorway to find Kiki, the most popular girl in her grade, singing.
Now, this normally wouldn't affect Mitzi the way it did, but the thing was that Kiki's song was just about perfect in Mitzi's eyes. On top of that, in the middle of her rehearsal she took out a guitar and began to strum like there was no tomorrow. Mitzi watched in awe as music flowed from the auditorium.
If that wasn't enough for Mitzi to handle, Kiki even began juggling bowling pins as soon as she set her guitar on the stage as she sung. Mitzi's jaw literally dropped as Kiki's performance eventually came to an end. All of her friends applauded, assuring her that the trophy would be hers. Mitzi slowly slumped out of the doorway and walked solemnly outside to wait for her parents to pick her up.
"Are you still going to perform?" Bill approached Mitzi and began bombarding her with questions. "The talent show is in a week. Have you practiced? Have you even rehearsed? I can be your audience if you want me to."
As Mitzi waited for her friend's questions to reach a stopping point, she answered only his first question. "I don't know if I want to perform anymore, Bill." By the stunned look on Bill's face, he was not expecting that response.
After an awkward silence, Bill finally asked, "Why on earth would you not perform? You play the piano great!"
"That's just it," Mitzi said sadly. "I don't play it great enough..."
"What?" a confused Bill asked. "What are you talking about?" Mitzi did not respond. She only looked at Bill pathetically and proceeded to her car.
The car ride was an awkward one, as Mitzi sat in the back seat completely silent. She regretted wanting to enter the talent show. She felt that she would face embarrassment once the multitalented Kiki took the stage. One by one, thoughts worse than the last invaded her mind. What if she had to proceed Kiki's performance? She wouldn't get so much as a single clap after that!
As Mitzi entered her house, she immediately fell to the couch and decided to do her homework later. It was then that she heard her cell phone buzz, the device vibrating on the coffee table. After a moment of hesitation she decided to pick it up.
"Hello?" Mitzi greeted.
Instead of the traditional greeting in return, Bill instead inquired, "Why aren't you going to play in the talent show?"
Mitzi was silent. She didn't know where to start on her excuses on why to not participate. Finally, she spoke. "It's because I don't have a chance of winning."
"Winning?" Bill sighed heavily through the phone. "The talent show is about your talents, not winning. Otherwise, it'd be called the winning show. We all have talents, don't we?"
"Yes, but all I can do is play the piano." Mitzi sighed as she grasped her phone tighter. "I can't sing, play guitar, or juggle bowling pins." The confused response Bill gave back suggested that he hadn't heard Kiki's rehearsal, so Mitzi continued. "I heard what Kiki was performing today, and she's very talented. I feel ashamed to even be entering."
"You shouldn't be ashamed at all," Bill said in response. "Even if you're not versatile, you still have an amazing talent. You play piano really well. I think that you should stay in the talent show, not to win, but to show the student body that you were given a talent- no, a gift. If you don't appreciate your talent, Mitzi, then what would be the point of having it?"
There was silence on the other line. "Mitzi?" Bill asked, wondering why Mitzi hadn't responded from his speech. As much as Mitzi wanted to agree, she couldn't make a sound. Her smile was so strong that it wouldn't wipe away.
"Well, I'll hang up now. I'm coming over tomorrow to be your practice audience, okay?"
Mitzi's smile finally eased enough for her to be able to speak. "Okay," she said softly. With that, she flipped her phone shut and picked up the songbook laying by her ebony piano.
The moral of this story is that each of us have been given talents by God, and he expects us to use them for the sake of his kingdom. So instead of being ashamed of your talents, you should live them to the fullest.