How Jackie Evancho Inspired Me at Work
Okay. I confess I just watched Jackie Evancho on a PBS TV special. If you haven't seen this little girl sing, treat yourself (Try this video on Youtube. It will give you just a taste of her extraordinary talent.) I know this may sound exaggerated a bit, but I found her inspiring.
Now obviously this little girl was blessed with an extraordinary gift. That's not what was inspiring. What moved me was the way she presented her songs. She's got a gift, but you can see that she not only puts all into her singing, but she clearly works at it.
(Yes, one part of me wonders whether the inevitable fame that will engulf this little girl will spoil her in some way, maybe overwhelm her. I hope not. In fact, I pray that it doesn't.)
I guess the inspiration part has to do with that - with the idea of both putting yourself fully into what you do, and with the idea of working hard to do what you do well.
So here I am ready to go about my business. It's time to work. I won't be singing before any audiences. No one's going to applaud me during the day. No, it'll just be me, my laptop, and - well, that's about it.
But while I may not have an extraordinary gift like little Jackie, I find myself thanking God for the gifts He's given me. And among those gifts is the ability to produce good work that in some way helps people.
Of course, I'd love to inspire people too, the way this little girl must inspire others like me. But that's not what God chose for me. That's not the course He set for me.
Whatever His plan is for Jackie, I hope she is open to it. And while His plan for me is decidedly a much "smaller" one, just thinking about all this reminds me to be open to His plan for me.
See what happens when God puts that incredible voice into a little girl's body? You sit up and take notice. You listen. It's amazing. But in the end, you realize the important thing is whether little Jackie remains open to God's plan for her. All the rest - the talent, the fame, etc. - only matters if it's part of His plan.
So which is it? Is God's plan for Jackie to move and inspire people through her talent, her music? Or is His plan to get us all to understand that He's got a plan for all of us - just not such a splashy plan? Or is it a little bit of both?
Who knows? Meanwhile, I'm back to work. In fact, some of what I've got to do is kind of, well, ordinary, even boring. But that's OK. What matters is how I do my work today - for God's greater glory.
Thank you Lord for this unusual moment of inspiration to work for Your greater glory. Thank you for that little girl with the extraordinary voice that I just heard who brought me a step closer to You.
Now obviously this little girl was blessed with an extraordinary gift. That's not what was inspiring. What moved me was the way she presented her songs. She's got a gift, but you can see that she not only puts all into her singing, but she clearly works at it.
(Yes, one part of me wonders whether the inevitable fame that will engulf this little girl will spoil her in some way, maybe overwhelm her. I hope not. In fact, I pray that it doesn't.)
I guess the inspiration part has to do with that - with the idea of both putting yourself fully into what you do, and with the idea of working hard to do what you do well.
So here I am ready to go about my business. It's time to work. I won't be singing before any audiences. No one's going to applaud me during the day. No, it'll just be me, my laptop, and - well, that's about it.
But while I may not have an extraordinary gift like little Jackie, I find myself thanking God for the gifts He's given me. And among those gifts is the ability to produce good work that in some way helps people.
Of course, I'd love to inspire people too, the way this little girl must inspire others like me. But that's not what God chose for me. That's not the course He set for me.
Whatever His plan is for Jackie, I hope she is open to it. And while His plan for me is decidedly a much "smaller" one, just thinking about all this reminds me to be open to His plan for me.
See what happens when God puts that incredible voice into a little girl's body? You sit up and take notice. You listen. It's amazing. But in the end, you realize the important thing is whether little Jackie remains open to God's plan for her. All the rest - the talent, the fame, etc. - only matters if it's part of His plan.
So which is it? Is God's plan for Jackie to move and inspire people through her talent, her music? Or is His plan to get us all to understand that He's got a plan for all of us - just not such a splashy plan? Or is it a little bit of both?
Who knows? Meanwhile, I'm back to work. In fact, some of what I've got to do is kind of, well, ordinary, even boring. But that's OK. What matters is how I do my work today - for God's greater glory.
Thank you Lord for this unusual moment of inspiration to work for Your greater glory. Thank you for that little girl with the extraordinary voice that I just heard who brought me a step closer to You.
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