It’s been nearly twenty years since we had a talent show at church.

That evening, anyone in our little congregation was invited to come up on stage and share their talent with the rest of the church family.

Some sang songs or read poems. Others showed off the quilts they had made, or plants and produce they had grown. Charles showed us coins from his collection and talked about coins. Albert did bird calls, Anna played the accordion, and Gloria passed out made-from-scratch carrot cake.

But it was my daughter, Olivia’s, ballet dance that stole the show — in spite of my Granny not wanting her to do it.

“You can’t dance in the church!” she exclaimed when Olivia told her what she would be doing that night. “It’s a sin to dance in church!” she insisted, even when I reminded her of the fact that she loved to watch Olivia dance and had never missed a recital.

But Granny was sure others would disapprove.

When Olivia finished her dance that night, the applause from our little church family was long and loud. She had shared her God-given gift. There wasn’t a frown on anyone’s face — including Granny’s.

Praise that is pure, sincere, and God-honoring can take many forms.