One Talent People

This morning I read in Matthew where Jesus told the parable about the talents. Three servants were given talents, each according to his ability, one was given five, one was given two and one was given one. They were told to use their talent while the master was away. When he returned they reported back to him. The first had made 5 more talents. The master was pleased and said, "Here are 5 more talents, enter into the master's joy". The second had made 2 more talents and also received the same commendation. The third servant came with only the talent he had received. He said, "master, since I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not plant, I went and buried the talent, but here it is. The master was not pleased with this servant and used the man's own words to rebuke him. If you knew I reaped where I did not sow why did you not at least put it in the bank where it would gain interest. The master then called him a wicked servant and took what he had and gave it to the one who already had 5. He then was cast out into darkness.

I've been thinking about this story all day. What am I? A 5 talent, a 2 talent, or just a 1 talent person? I'm not sure that I can figure that out. I know some 5 talent people. I know some 2 talent people. They are amazing. Their ability to accomplish spiritually significant things just blows me away.

Probably most people I know including myself are just 1 talent people. Not exceptional, not extremely gifted, just pretty ordinary. So what does one do with 1 talent? Living in fear is not what God wants. God wants risk. He wants his church to be full of risk takers. Instead of being the saved church most of us are part of the 'safe' church. We don't want to invest and risk losing what little we even have. God at least wants us to put in the bank his investment so that He gets the interest. So how would that look? We are committed to Christ. We are committed to a church family. We raise our kids in a Christian way. When asked, we even share about our faith. We live the 'safe' Christian life. Sounds easy? Well, it really is. No risk, the only return is interest.

That's not what I want for my life. If I only have one talent, I want to risk it to gain another for my master. How do I do that? I make choices that involve risk. I do the hard things. My passion for God is what consumes me and my total obedience to God in whatever He asks is evident in my life. Who knows, maybe I'll even gain another talent along the way!

Cleaning out my stuff

This week I've been cleaning out my sewing center. It contains two file cabinets that have about 25 years of accumulated 'stuff' in the drawers. I discovered old letters, papers my kids wrote at elementary age, old sermon notes, old notes from speaking engagements, and files on most every craft I've ever gotten involved in. Talk about a trip down nostalgic lane! It was fun to read and look at old things. It was also maybe a little depressing, realizing how much time has passed and how old I'm getting. But there is a time to reorganize and clean up one's memories. I find myself wanting to rid my life of so much stuff. I have mountains of stuff! Well, maybe not mountains but enough to fill a large room. Most of it relates to crafts. I have been doing crafts about as long as I can remember. The list goes something like this: cross-stitch, embroidery, silk flowers, macrame, crocheting, knitting, quilting, sewing, teddy bear making, doll making, quilling, painting, decopage, and I'm sure there's more I've forgotten about! I've loved them all and given a good chunk of time to doing them. I suppose I could have spent time more wisely but it's a love I have -- to create! Maybe it's a gifting from God. He is the creator of all things so maybe He instills in his children this desire -- to create.

Latest lessons

I keep wondering when I will feel brave and bold enough to actually pass this blog site on to friends! There's an insecurity of having someone read what you wrote and make some critical judgment. But that's the people pleaser inside of me coming out! So I will keep adding to my blog and maybe someday actually have my family and friends read it.
This morning brought some interesting thoughts to mind as I finished up at Community Bible Study. I have not done a Bible Study outside of my church family in a long time. Going into a situation like this, I found myself wary and unsure. I also was surprised at the arrogance I felt. I'm used to being in charge and having people look to me for answers. Wow! Even writing that feels yucky but I know it's honest. So what am I learning? It's good for me to be under someone else's authority. It's good for me to humble myself and realize there are many more believers out there who are way more spiritual than I am!! It's good for me to be involved with other Christians who don't know me and I have to be real. Giving a pharisee appearance will never please God and I think ultimately most will see right through it. This has really revealed my struggle with pride and self. The verse that keeps rattling around in my head is, "humble yourself under the might hand of God, that he may in due time lift you up" from I Peter 5. A hard and difficult lesson for me to learn -- to be humble and let God be the one (when He chooses) to lift me up.