I am not a good singer. Never have been. It’s been an area of my life that I’ve always wanted to be simply marvelous in and always seem to miss the mark. It’s not that my voice is especially horrible, or that I can’t stay in tune, it’s just not that pretty.
As a kid, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up I would have matter of factly said one of two things: A professional singer or an Astronaut. I’m not either one of those, but we’re here to talk about singing, not space, so let’s get back to it. I was in choir. I joined the worship team, I took voice lessons, and of course I tried out for every. single. solo. The same reason I never got those solos, was the same reason I was so frustrated: I just didn’t have a good voice.
I remember in college being so (insert strong language of your choice) jealous of this one girl in my hall. She could play the guitar better than me, she had a striking voice to boot and to kill me with her talents, she wrote songs. Ugh, I really didn’t like her. Wait, why didn’t I like her? Because she had something I wanted.
Since then, I’ve come to accept that my voice won’t take me to broadway, or even get me a crappy church solo, but I’m okay with that. You know what I am good at? Public speaking. Baking oatmeal raisin cookies. Thinking creatively. Making my daughter smile. Growing this baby inside of me. Those things come naturally to me.
We all have talents and gifts that come naturally to us. They look different for each person. If I waste time whining over and coveting something that doesn’t come naturally to me, I’m neglecting the gifts our great Potter has shaped into my being.
There’s a lot of other things that don’t come naturally to me: Organization. Staying connected with friends. Cooking. Just because they don’t come naturally doesn’t mean I should just quit doing them. Some things in life we just need to do and as we practice we get better. But let’s stop comparing ourselves to one another. We are unique. You have your natural talents, and I have mine. I’m okay with that.
Despite my lack of vocal serendipity, I marvel at how God still uses MY voice to calm my babies. Celine, eat your heart out, even you can’t compete with me when I sing “Ba Ba Black Sheep” to my little girl. Both our strengths and weaknesses can be used for good when done for His glory and not our own.
~Emily
