Use it or Lose it

I've always been a big music person.  Ever since I can remember, I've been playing music.  Playing the guitar is my most recently acquired musical talent.  After I left on my mission, I didn't have as easy access to guitar as I did back home.  But when I was in my first area, I had a couple opportunities to play guitar again.  I was real excited, then once I started picking and strumming, I realized that I had lost a lot of what I knew.  Many songs that I used to play had vanished from my memory.  I was devastated!

Our knowledge and testimony will dwindle if we stop nourishing it as well.  We need to continually improve our talents and skills.  Alma, a Book of Mormon prophet said, "...Let us nourish it with great care, that it may get root, that it may grow up, and bring forth fruit unto us...but if ye neglect [it], and take no thought for its nourishment, behold it will not get any root..." (Alma 32: 37-38).  We must nourish the skills and talents that we have so that when we need to be an instrument in the Lords hand, we will be fine tuned and ready to play. 

We need to continue to exercise those things in our life.  If we slack off on them, then our knowledge and ability will diminish.  And when that day comes, you will feel as I did when I picked up the guitar after a couple of months...devastated!  So do the little things every day, practice what you preach, apply what you learn, and you will never lose it.

What's Your Mutant Power?

Some of the coolest action scenes in the history of movies have been in the X-Men series.  Well, that's my opinion, but I stand by it.  The thing I like about this series is that everyone has a different power.  They don't choose the mutant powers that they get, but they make the most of what they have.  How cool would life be if we all had our own individual mutant powers?

Maybe we can look at it on a smaller scale.  Matthew 25:15 reads "And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one; to every man according to his several ability..."  We may not have mutant powers, but we definitely have different talents and abilities.  Just like the X-Men, we can't choose our talents, but we can make the best of them.  Too often we look at other peoples talents and wish we had theirs.  We shouldn't compare our weaknesses to other's strengths.  We don't see Wolverine complaining because he can't shoot lasers from his eyes, or Ice Man whining because he can't run through walls.  They take what their given and make the most of it.

This is what we have to do.  A talent not used is a talent that is wasted.  We are given many talents and abilities.  It's our job to exercise them for good.  We can be like the X-Men and use our powers for the benefit of others.  Always remember that no good act, no matter how small, is ever wasted.