The Hollywood Commandments By DeVon FranklinSample

Your Talent Is On Loan; Stay Humble

At the time Paul wrote his famous letters to the Romans, he was about to leave for Jerusalem to aid poor Christians, then for Rome where he hoped to gain support for a mission to Spain. He knew the journey to Rome, where Christians were few and persecuted, might be hazardous. But in his letter, he isn’t concerned with the dangers. Instead, he encourages Roman believers not only to embrace their gifts but also to remember that they come from God, who wants to use them wisely and well.

Paul’s letter is a beautiful example of a vital principle surrounding talent—that it is not ours. Talent is only on loan from the Lord. It’s important not to let even great talent lead to arrogance or the presumption that because you have it, you don’t need God. As great UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, "Talent is God given. Be humble. Fame is man-given. Be grateful. Conceit is self-given. Be careful."

It's important to remember why you have this gift: to serve God and fulfill the destiny for which He has chosen you. Humility should always accompany talent. The word humility means "to go low." To experience the power of God, you must go under his mighty hand. He didn’t say, "Stand on my hand, and I will prop you up"; He said, "I will put my hand over you." God did not grant you talent for your purposes, but for His.

Part of humility is admitting, "I’m not where I want to be in my career." In our social media-driven culture, that’s not something you might like to admit. Maybe you’d rather fake it. You present a public image that says, "I’m doing exactly what I want to be doing," but the reality is that you’re not. If you have great talent, perhaps you feel even worse: "How can I not have the career I want—the life I want—when I have this talent?"

There are many reasons. God’s appointed time for your rise may not have come yet. You may not have put in enough work. Or maybe you’ve been proud and forgotten what your talent is for. Remember, God opposes the proud and shows favor to the humble. We often look at humility as being the opposite of strength, but it’s not. Many of the most influential and powerful people in the world are also the humblest. They recognize that this is not about them; it’s about what God does through them. As a result, they are blessed.