Matthew 25:14-30: “For it is as if a man, going on a journey, summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. The one who had received the five talents went off at once and traded with them, and made five more talents. In the same way, the one who had the two talents made two more talents. But the one who had received the one talent went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.”
Jesus tells a parable about using what you have to bring favor with God. Although in the story, talents are money, in many ways, our talents, as we use the term today, are a form of valuable currency as well. These talents can be the basis of our paid vocation or a source of fun and relaxation.
Whether it’s a talent for cooking, building, coaching or teaching, we all have talents that bring out the best in us and others. Sometimes we use these talents to their full extent, and in the process, develop new talents. Sometimes we put them on the back burner, and they languish there. Sometimes our talents are hidden, and we don’t even know they exist because we haven’t explored that part of our selves.
And how we use our talents matters. In the parable, the master rewards the servants who grow their talents, but takes away from the one who hides the talents entrusted to him. Jesus warns, ”For to all those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.”
How often do we sit on the sidelines when life calls for volunteers? How often do we reserve our talents for those special ocassions, like they are fancy china, instead of using them every day? When we hold our talents in reserve, they atrophy instead of growing stronger. When we live out of abundance, more comes to us. How will you use your talents today?
