I Was Born This Way

Yesterday and today the kids have been spending time with their daddy, making paper planes from instructions and patterns he found on the internet.  Today as, as they all sat around the table working on their planes, the conversation turned to the topic of talents and gifts that God has put in us.

Now,  I don't know about other Christian families out there, but whenever WE have any serious conversation about anything remotely pertaining to the spiritual in our home, you can be sure that the seriousness won't last long.  It's just a matter of time until someone says something hilarious and all the seriousness is gone, just like that.

People will fart.

Snot will roll.

Threats will be made, you can be sure of it.

Indeed, we are so full of the joy of the Lord we sometimes find it hard to breathe. 

So today,  in an effort to help us appreciate the talents in one another, I asked the children what they thought their dad's talents were.  Their answers were pretty right on--

"He's good at helping people"

"He can do hard things"

Then Abi piped in,  "He takes risks!"

Wait a minute?  He takes risks?  None of us really understood what she meant, even after she explained it 2 times.  Nate rolled his eyes and said in Mongolian, "Abi's speaking left-hand."

Then we moved on to Nate.  According to us, his talents are making people feel at ease, making them laugh and smile, and planning things.  He's a great planner and helps me out a lot in this area, since planning ahead is not my strong suit.

Then Kenny mentioned the fact that Nate helps people fly.

"Hm", I thought.  Interesting insights.  Maybe even prophetic.  It even gave me goosebumps until the real truth came out.

"Once, Nate kicked me SO hard I didn't touch the ground for a lot of seconds!"  If you know Kenny, you know exactly what that sentence sounded like. 

Well, that makes sense.  And it does require talent.

We concluded that Abi's talent is making and keeping friends.  She does not have many that she calls close friends but to those who are she is fiercely loyal.  She is always thinking of ways to make them feel special.

And animals.  She loves animals. As we speak, there is a baby pigeon in a box on our balcony, waiting to finish growing in his feathers so he can fly away.  He has to fly away.  He. Has. To. 

According to Kenny, his number 1 talent is burping on demand.  His next talent would be telling those around him, "I love you" 50 million times a day.  He's such a cuddly teddy bear, that boy.  He just makes people feel good. 

When I asked what they thought Eva's talents were I was met with protests and looks of, well, horror.

"Talent?!  What talent?  The only thing she's good at is being grumpy and bossing us around!"  Nate said, in that exasperated, dramatic voice10 year-old boys use.

But after some silence and a little chat about how none of us is perfect yet God still uses us, we decided that Eva is just really good at organizing.  We also decided she wasn't bossing people around; she was just displaying her leadership skills.  It's all in how you look at it.

According to Abi, my talents are being a good mommy and making people happy.

Kenny said, "Mommy, you're really, really good at putting people to bed."  I assume by that he means himself and his siblings.  I really don't go around reading to people and tucking them in at night. 

What are some of your talents?  We all want to know!