What's Your Talent?

Today’s Reading: Matthew 25:14-30

‘So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you’ (vs. 25). The key word here….afraid! Isn’t that why we usually don’t do what we have been called to do because of fear. Fear that we won’t be successful. Fear that people will not understand us. Fear that we will completely fail. Fear that we are not good enough. Fear that we will be talked about and that others will make fun of us. You know God does not expect us to be successful with everything we do, but he does expect us to be faithful!

When I think about it, it is really my failures that make me even more faithful---it is during those times that I draw closer to God, that I really search for the true meaning of life. Now don’t get me wrong success can be rewarding and I know that God is a loving God that blesses us with many successes, but we have to be sure and keep everything in perspective during our times of success---we have to never forget who bestowed each blessing upon us.  Notice that while the first two men’s talents multiplied, they were not congratulated because they were successful, they were congratulated because they were faithful! It tells us that the first two immediately went to work and multiplied their talents---we don’t know how difficult the task was to multiply their talents, but we do know they didn’t sit around expecting them to multiply without doing anything about it. The last man was given 1 talent and what did he do---nothing! He was afraid, of what, I don’t know, but I do know that not only was his master disappointed in him, but he called him ’wicked and lazy’---powerful words, huh!

You see when God gives us something---a special gift, a talent---he expects us to use it and with that use it will naturally multiply. He doesn’t give us something to just hold on to until he returns. I have been writing for a while now, but I never shared my thoughts with others until a couple of years ago. Why? I was afraid that people wouldn’t get me, wouldn’t understand what I was trying to say, and I didn’t want people to think I was different. Sounds crazy now since I have been sharing almost all my thoughts with the world, but sometimes that voice still creeps up on me and tells me that what I am saying doesn’t really matter, but I know it does. You see, God spoke to me one day and told me that he didn’t give me these thoughts, these messages for just me to know. He told me that it wasn’t just about me increasing my faith, but that I was to share what he gave me with others---that I was just the tool that he was using. I can honestly say that I cannot take credit for anything that I write because I know without a doubt that it is God guiding my thoughts and my words because I know that there is no way that I could do this on my own. I do not have it in me and believe me sometimes when I get finished writing and I read back over it I am amazed myself at how God uses me.

So what has God given you? If you don’t know, ask him---he’ll let you know! If you do know than what are you doing with it?