Use Them!

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Today I want to simply share something personal that touched my heart.


Yesterday, I was brought to tears as I watched and listened to my youngest daughter play the guitar during worship at church. Instruments are a new thing in our church, as we have historically only had acapella worship. 


Olivia is our child who is quiet about her gifts. There is nothing she does for praise or attention. She plays several instruments, but if you ask her, she’ll only tell you about the one she plays the most.


When she was barely five years old, our friend Terra taught her some basics for a few months, but being so young, she stopped within a year. What we didn’t know is that God was preparing them to share a stage of worship together 11 years later.


I tried for years to get Olivia to sing (one of her gifts) with our praise team but she never would. I even gave her a lecture and Bible lesson about how it’s wrong to hide the gifts God has given us (see Matthew 25:14–30) but to no avail. So when she agreed to learn a song on her guitar and play it for worship, I was in complete shock. Had God been working on her heart, or were my years of lectures finally paying off? 


I think we all know the answer to that. ;)


As I listened to her play “Raise a Hallelujah” I was brought to tears. It was more than seeing my child finally use her gifts to worship our Creator. I thought about how when we offer God our best, how pleased He is. I was grateful God met Olivia where she is and gave her a place to use her gifts.


I am grateful for a God who meets us where we are. Because He has gifted each of us differently, he requires different kinds of sacrifice, expecting us to use them for His glory. He will never ask us for something He hasn’t given us in the first place.


Yesterday I witnessed Olivia’s “Towdah” (Hebrew word for sacrifice of praise).


What kind of Towdah can you offer today?



“According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; if encouraging, in encouragement; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.” ‭‭Romans‬ ‭12:6-8‬

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