As a Christian Scientist, I’ve learned that our talents come directly from God—they are not merely human skills. One talent that I have cherished for decades is singing. I love to sing and have had opportunities to do so through serving as a soloist in many branch Churches of Christ, Scientist. 

One week, though, I found myself voiceless. I prayed about this, expecting that my voice would return in time for the Sunday service, but I still couldn’t speak as of early Sunday morning. At that point I enlisted the prayers of a Christian Science practitioner. She suggested that I turn to Hymn 324 in the Christian Science Hymnal, which includes these lines: “Take my voice, and let me sing / Always, only, for my King” (Frances R. Havergal, adapt. © CSBD). As I thought about this, I knew that I was free to express God and that this was a message from my divine Father-Mother. I went to the service, and my voice rang out naturally and beautifully. 

Besides singing in churches, I also sang in public musical productions. At one audition, I needed to do The Twist, a dance that was very popular at the time. Although I loved to dance, I had no professional training, so I began to panic. Then this part of the Lord’s Prayer came to me: “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever” (Matthew 6:13). I knew immediately that I needed to surrender to God’s will and that everything I did should joyfully glorify God. I was able to dance well and was asked to come back in a few days for the reading portion of the audition.