“Talent on Loan from God: Often misunderstood by hypercritical and sensitive types to mean I think I am God. On the contrary, I believe I am what I am because of the grace of God and that my time on earth, as is everyone’s, is temporary. We are all on loan from God, you see.” — me, lexicon, The Way Things Ought to Be, 1992

“Larry King dies, goes to heaven. He’s greeted there at the gates and is given a tour … They finally take him into this just indescribably ornate … beautiful room, and King says, ‘This is where I want to be.’ ‘No, no, no, Mr. King, this is not for anyone, certainly not you.’ … [T]here’s a sign that says ‘Rush Limbaugh’ over the throne in the room. King says, ‘Don’t tell me he’s here!’ ‘No,’ says St. Peter, ‘this is God’s room; He just thinks He’s Rush Limbaugh.’ Now, folks — you know … the left doesn’t understand when I say ‘talent on loan from God,’ and that’s a blessing. [This] is my way to make fun of Larry King, who considers me … his chief competitor…” — me, opening joke, speech to Council on National Policy, 1/28/05

As you know, I have typically handled matters of religion lightly on my program. I have a deep faith, but it is personal and private, and I do not proselytize on the radio. But occasionally, and perhaps more often these days, I am comfortable delving a bit. That was the case recently when Gary, a caller from Phoenix, hit me with some provocative questions: “Rush, you say quite often, ‘I have talent on loan from God.’ I think God gives us gifts, and He allows us to use them for His benefit. I’m wondering, what do you feel your talent is? And what is the gift that God gave you that allowed you to become the person you are today?”

These are serious questions, and there are a lot of ways to answer. First, everybody on the planet has some unique talents, and I am no exception. You’ve often heard me say I am a naturally talented, highly trained broadcast specialist. That isn’t just braggadocio. It means there are two parts to success: natural abilities and a lifelong drive to enhance them.

There are broadcasting talents I have — like timing — that can’t be taught. You either have it, or you don’t. But I haven’t just relied on talent: I’ve also spent the 30-plus years I’ve been behind the Golden eib Microphone honing my radio skills.

People never see the work that a lot of people put in at what they do. It is assumed, for instance, that great athleticism is simply a gift you’re born with. You can get up every day and go hit .350 in major league baseball without thinking about it. There’s nothing further from the truth. When I worked for the Kansas City Royals, it could be 120 degrees in August, yet George Brett would be out there taking batting practice at 2 p.m. to prepare for a 7:30 p.m. game. Nobody ever saw it, and he never talked about it. It’s just what he did. He had natural talent, but he also worked at it — like every successful person you’ve ever known has to work to get there and then to stay there.

I also have an ability to take a complex issue and make it understandable. My dad had a way of doing this. When I was a boy, I once asked him why he thought the news media was wrong so often. He said, “Son, the news media is so stupid they think that if the communists ever took over this country, they’d be welcomed into the inner circle, but they’d actually be the first put in jail.” Instead of a long, drawn-out explanation that would have sailed over my head, he made it memorably clear in a way I could understand that journalists are not only intellectually lazy, they are dangerously naive.

This ability to make the complex understandable not only allows me to translate inside-the-Beltway maneuverings to my audience, it also helps me when we occasionally get a caller on the program who may be nervous and perhaps doesn’t clearly communicate a question or comment. I usually know what he or she is trying to say and am able to quickly reframe it in a straightforward way to my listeners.

But Gary asked specifically about gifts from God — attributes we know we didn’t acquire without divine intervention. One of my greatest gifts from God is this: I don’t think I’m better than anybody. There’s no condescension. I assume that everybody in my audience can understand anything I explain.

There’s way too little humility among liberals. We’ve got a bunch of imperial Swamp creatures who run around convinced they’re better than everybody else. They believe we should be grateful for their presence amongst us. Without God in your life, you tend to miss an essential, grounding truth: there are things larger than yourself. Those refusing to acknowledge anything larger than themselves are some of the worst people to be around. They’re arrogant, condescending, and many of them are profoundly insecure, which is what they’re trying to cover up.

When you realize there is a power larger than you — God — you are then able to raise your sights and think big as well. And paradoxically, you become humble. Faith in God leads to humility and empathy, not hubris.

In the work I do, empathy is the fundamental characteristic necessary for success. If there isn’t a bond created between the host and the audience, if I’m just sitting there speaking into a microphone to a bunch of faceless people, it ain’t gonna work. That’s why so many over-hyped liberal talk show hosts ultimately went down in flames. Too much egotism, smugness, and condescension, coupled with pure unadulterated rage at America, at conservatives, at their enemies: you. None of that can sustain an audience for very long.

What counts in this business is the ability to look at the microphone and see millions of faces but treat them as one. That’s something I’m just naturally able to do, without even thinking about it. Nobody had to teach it to me.

I am a naturally funny guy. I am a natural mimic. I am blessed with an excellent memory. I have a natural aversion to conventional wisdom — I cannot abide groupthink. I am literal, unmovable from what’s real and true and logical. I analyze. I love what I say, and I love hearing myself say it. I love good cheer. You could say this unique combination of innate abilities and character traits, nurtured by amazing parents, is God-given. It’s what allowed me to, as Gary put it, become the person I am today.

You’d be amazed the number of people who think I’m bragging when I say I have “talent on loan from God-d.” They say, “So you think you’re God, huh?” Of course, I don’t. It’s my way of giving thanks to God for what He has blessed me with, including my talent. I am grateful for this talent. That I say it’s “on loan” signifies that I realize I am but a passing speck in the cosmos, that I am here for a brief instant and will be gone. What I have is simply on loan, created by God, and it will be recalled at some point — because we’re all going home someday.

My wife Kathryn put a framed saying in a place in the house where I can’t miss it. I see it every day. It says, “Remember, you used to dream about being exactly where you are today.” That is very grounding. It is also infused with appreciation — and a reminder that you only get one life, and it is not to be squandered.

That gratitude extends to you. I have people thanking me all day long for doing my show, but you have no idea what you have meant to me. No matter how valuable you think my program is to you, it pales in comparison to what you have done for me. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I never take any of it for granted, and I never assume day to day you’re just going to be here. Do not doubt me.