Blog Layout
Are You Wasting Your Talent
Joe Killian • Nov 17, 2017
Have you ever used the phrase - what a waste of talent? I've been using it a lot recently but not because of this week's Gospel. Check out the Gospel and then I'll tell you what I've been doing with my talents.
Jesus told his disciples this parable: "A man going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents; to another, two; to a third, one--to each according to his ability. Then he went away.
After a long time the master of those servants came back and settled accounts with them. The one who had received five talents came forward bringing the additional five. He said, 'Master, you gave me five talents. See, I have made five more.' His master said to him, 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.' Matthew 25:14-15, 19-21
Jesus shares this particular parable directly with His disciples. In it Jesus makes clear reference to talents which in their most basic form are a measure of weight. A Roman talent would have weighed about 70 pounds. When this measurement was done using precious metals there was potentially great value in the talent. Jesus' message was that the servants are expected to increase the value of the Master's talents. In so doing they are affirmed by the Master and given even more talents.
As is typical in Jesus' parables there is explicit meaning as well as deeper meanings. In this case the explicit is that Jesus is talking about a financial "talent" that is meant to be invested wisely. There is also the implicit understanding that talent can be understood as ability. Carrying that analogy through, points you and me to our God-given "talents". And that is where I have been spending a lot of my time lately.
I just recently certified as a Strengths Finders coach. It is an assessment that identifies a person's strengths, ordering them from 1 through 34. Most people start with the basic assessment that identifies their Top 5 strengths. I coach people through their strengths so they understand how God has equipped them. As we begin, I explain that Strengths exist as a result of investing effort to develop a God-given Talent.
Therefore, there is no guarantee that we produce a return on our Master's "investment." Talent can be wasted! We are all called to invest in our God-given talents in a way that builds the Master's kingdom. The coolest part of Strengths Finders is that in each of our Strengths (talents) there is a uniqueness that God has hard-wired into us. Mathematically it is a 1 in 33,000,000 chance that you will meet someone with your same Top 5 strengths in the same order. As Psalm 139 says, "You are fearfully and wonderfully made."
We are all called to invest in the talents that God has placed within us. When we do we can look forward to hearing our Master's words: 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities. Come, share your master's joy.'
The story continues...I'm still working on the pondless waterfall in our front yard. I shared this project with you two weeks ago in Playin' In the Dirt. Since then I've had to rework sections of the stream three different times because we were losing too much water. I am now an expert on evaporation rates and excessive splash, two causes of water loss. This morning I tore the whole thing apart and I'm starting over.
Have you ever watched DreamWorks Animation's Kung Fu Panda? I stumbled across it recently and thoroughly enjoyed Jack Black's performance as a bumbling, noodle selling, kung fu enthusiast, giant panda named P o. Set in ancient China, it is more than a humorous slapstick comedy. The core message of the story jumped out at me as I have been focusing recently on the concept of being. Po is shockingly identified as the Dragon Warrior and he reluctantly enters training. The goal of the training is to receive the Dragon Scroll, which is believed to hold the secret to limitless power. Now I don't want to spoil the big reveal but I will say that what Po realizes is the same as what I speak to in the concept of being and authentic identity. So, where do we find the secret to our "power?" I praise You, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are Your works! My very self You know. Psalm 139:14 God knows it; and we must seek Him with all of our hearts in order to find it. As it was in the movie, the answer is stunningly simple. Our authentic identity is already within us. The challenge for Po in the movie was in seeing himself accurately and not the way others saw him. Even his teacher scoffed at the idea that Po was anything more than an underachieving dreamer who overate when he was anxious. Po's problems are rooted in the fact that he believes the lie of his false identity much more than he does his authentic one. Is it possible that you do the same? Who could have imagined that beneath all of Po's girth lived the Dragon Warrior? What's hidden from view in you? Seek God for understanding as to who He created you to be. Spoiler Alert: the secret of your limitless power is already in you. God placed it there and He wants you to be who He authentically created you to be.
Maria and I have been playing in the dirt a lot recently. First we replaced our French drain and then we embarked on a creative project intended to change the entire look of our front yard. My brother Jeffrey and I installed a new front step.
