Use you talents

Have you ever sat in church and felt like the sermon was directed at you? Today was one of those days. Kind of made me itch, ya know? The Gospel was from Matthew 25: 14-30. It was the parable of talents.

You know the story -- the one about the tragedy of wasted opportunity. So a rich man is going away and before he does, he meets with his slaves. He gives one dude five talents, another two and another one. The first two dudes use their talents and double them. The third dude buries his talent in a hole. When the rich man returns and checks in to see how his slaves have done with the talents he has given them, he praises the two slaves who doubled their talents. But, as you can imagine, the master's not too happy with the third slave who was lazy and did nothing with his.

So here's how I see it. God has given each of us talents. Maybe you can write or sing or paint. Maybe you're a good listener or teacher. Heck, maybe you can run a mean mile or solve Suduko puzzles in record time. Whatever your talents might be, you should use them, not bury them. 

I've met people who say, "I can't do that." It's often not that they can't do it, it's that they're too afraid to try. Everything we have God has given us. He expects us to use our talents. He wants us to use our talents. He doesn't want us to be like the third slave who dug a hole and buried his talent and did nothing with it.

So why am I sharing this with you today? I was having a little pity party in the pew before church began today. You know the moment -- one of those why-do-I-even-bother-to-write-if-no-one-is-going-to-read-it moments. An if-I-had-any-talent-my-agent-would-be-able-to-sell-my-work moment.

And then it happened. I swear I didn't know what the sermon was about today. But then the pastor spoke, and he talked about talents and that's when it clicked. I haven't buried my talent. I'm using my talent (at least the talent I think I have) to the best of my ability. Dang, I'm trying to double it. And, that's all I can do. The rest is out of my hands.

So here's what I want to say to you. If you're a writer and you're struggling and doubting, don't give up. If you're not a writer and you're reading this blog, whatever your talent is, don't give up. Don't ever get frustrated and bury your talents. And don't be afraid to try.

You've been given a gift by God to use. Use your talent or talents that you've been given. And remember, no talent is too small.

God bless each of you this Sunday and I hope you have an awesome week.

If you enjoyed this post, check out these columns:

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Seeds of healing fall from the sky
Tapestry: A shift of view
Our choices determine the impact
Learn to have the generosity of children
We learn from our failures