Most of us are familiar with the parable of the talents. A master gives three servants one, two, and five talents respectively. The servant given only one talent buries his. The servants given two and five talents multiply theirs.
I've always felt sorry for the first servant. I imagined him so overwhelmed with that one talent that he just didn't know what to do with it and so feared losing it. At the same time, I wanted to give him a kick in the pants and tell him, "Hey, you're lucky enough to have one talent. Get out there and use it."
Are you like me and envy other people their talents? I am blessed with uber-talented friends and family. One friend is a world-renown sculptor. Why wasn't I given his talent, I rail at the Lord. Another friend writes beautiful inspirational romances. Why wasn't I given her talent? Yet another friend is a master of all things musical, she sings, she composes, she plays the piano, organ, flute, guitar. A cousin writes and designs lovely cookbooks. Couldn't I have just a bit of their talents?
And so I find myself in the unhappy position of the first and unprofitable servant. I am so busy lamenting that I didn't get more that I fail to use what I have.
So, for today, I am grateful for those times when I remember to use what I have been given.
I can't let this go.
ReplyDeleteJANE! YOU'VE BEEN GIVEN SO MANY TALENTS IT HURTS!
You write, you can see both the funny side and the spiritual side of any situation in a matter of moments, you are thoughtful, you consistently remember that people are more important than things (including things to do), you're positive, you're honest, you're an all-weather friend, and the list goes on.
And so I leave off by murmuring, "One talent my left foot."