Parable of the Talents

I was at coffee with my dad last week telling him about something that I’m struggling with in my daily pursuit of God. It’s kinda a risky thing, or at least it feels a little risky, and that I wasn’t sure if it was what God wanted. And he sorta called me out on it, which is totally the opposite of my dad’s style. He just blurted out the parable of the talents in regard to my situation. I felt in that moment this might be God telling me to stop hiding and go all in.

We are beautiful creatures because we image our Beautiful God. When we are doing things for him, we are unstoppable. Satan, the world, even our own fears cower at the unstoppable wave of God’s desire to do things in the world, through us and in us. I know there are a lot of things I want to do that I’m afraid of doing. I know we all have (or at least many of us have) things we deeply desire to do for God, and if we’re honest for our own joy as well because the things of God bring us joy, that we are afraid of doing. Maybe because it puts us into a place of vulnerability, or riskiness, or because we have been hurt in the past over it. Whatever it is, God gave us certain talents (notice the play on words with the parable…that definitely wasn’t intentional in the Greek, but it wouldn’t surprise me if God may have made that intentional in the English) to spend on others for him. If we hide ourselves away from whatever God has called us to do, we will wither. Maybe not immediately or all at once, but we will long to not miss out on the good things God has called us to do and to become.

So whatever it is for you, don’t hide yourself away. You’re an incredible creation of Christ, you are AMAZING in him. Go for it!!

Luke 8:16,

“No one lights a lamp and hides it in a clay jar or puts it under a bed. Instead, they put it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.

 

Matthew 25:14-30

¹⁴ “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants^[a]and entrusted to them his property. ¹⁵ To one he gave five talents,^[b] to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. ¹⁶ He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. ¹⁷ So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. ¹⁸ But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.¹⁹ Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ ²¹ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.^[c] You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’²² And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’²³ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ ²⁴ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, ²⁵ so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’²⁶ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? ²⁷ Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. ²⁸ So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. ²⁹ For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. ³⁰ And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

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