“Most people are bothered by those passages of Scripture they do not understand, but the passages that bother me are those I do understand.” — Mark Twain
On Being Afraid Of Not Trying
The Parable of the Talents — Matthew 25:14-30
Since I’m now of middle age and questionable wisdom, I’ve been spending some time wondering what I want to be when I grow up. I know that teaching Scripture is my true passion and my main gift from God. “What about writing?” you may ask. Writing has always been an avenue for me to teach Scripture, either verbally or through the printed or electronic media.
However, neither of those has ever been my primary source of financial income. I’ve always wanted to be on staff in a church where I could spend most of my time teaching. On the other hand, I’d also like travel to different churches and conferences and share my thoughts about God and His Word. Instead, with the exception of a brief six-month stint on a church staff, I’ve spent most of my working career in the building trades in one form or another. This brings me to the Parable of the Talents.
I can’t help but wonder if I’ve buried my talents. Although I keep comparing myself with Abraham and Joseph, who spent years waiting for God to fulfill His promises, I think it is only honest to wonder if my own pride and sin has kept my dream from being fulfilled. Perhaps this is why I spend so much time writing. I’m hopeful that one day someone will uncover the talent God has given me and I’ll be able to double His investment. Until then, I keep writing in almost total anonymity.
My ultimate dream is to “burn out” for Christ. If could chose my death, it would be right in the middle of a sermon, with two unfinished books in my computer and a pile of teachings in a folder nobody has heard. Then I would feel like I’ve given my all to God and truly invested the talents He has given me.
I’m not afraid of trying and failing. I am afraid of never trying. While talking to my college roommate about transparency in the pulpit, he wrote me some stirring words that I’ve been pondering ever since.
One of the reasons that grace had to be unlimited is because sin is unlimited. Even a person who lives his whole life in a closet sins grievously. Just look at the parable of the talents. I wish Jesus had included a guy in his story who just blew it all. That would have been me. “I tried Master, really I did. I saw a couple of business opportunities that I thought would work, but they just wouldn’t go. So, here are all the debts I compiled in your name. Some of these you will want to pay pretty quickly as the lenders are the shady sort who might have a whack at your kneecaps if they don’t get paid.” But no, Jesus presented the only failure as the guy who never tried.
I don’t mind appearing before the Judgment Seat of Christ with a long list of my failures. What bothers me is appearing before God with a short list of the things I was too afraid to attempt. Failure in life is not an option. However, failing to try is.
Thinking Out Loud 
“I wish Jesus had included a guy in his story who just blew it all…But no, Jesus presented the only failure as the guy who never tried.”
Wow. Never thought of it that way.
Now I’m gonna spend all day thinking about this.
🙂
Yeah, that line says a lot. And it came from my roommate who was not a good ministerial major like me, but a MUSIC major!! Actually, he has a Master’s in improvisational jazz guitar, so he’s no slouch.
Thanks for stopping by.
Blessings,
Jim
The thing that cracks me up the most is that it goes right up your left nostril that the observation comes from a Music Major (rotfl)! I can almost hear that great philosopher Jim Backus (Thurston Howell III) saying, “I feel about that as I would feel about … A YALE MAN!” (Yup, that’s right, I played the “Gilligan’s Island” card!)
For those of you who were wondering, Don is the music major I was talking about. But that’s okay. I not only like him, but I acknowledge that he is smarter than I am. As for being a music major, although I play the piano, I’m not talented enough to major in music. So, I majored in ministry. Kinda scary, doncha think?
Hi Jim…
Just one question. What makes you think you have buried your talents? I hope it isn’t simply because things have not gone the way you expected them too.
Just love you…MAF
MAF,
I don’t think I’ve buried ALL my talents, but I can’t help but wonder if I’ve buried some of them. Like all of us, I can look back and think, “I should have fought harder for that area,” or “I wonder if I walked away from that situation too quickly.” In other, less self-effacing moments, I know that God is never finished with me (even when we get to heaven, but that’s another blog), that no area of my life is irredeemable, and living for the full glory of God is a life-long process. Asking the question, “Have I buried my talents?” is legitimate in that it keeps me honest about what I’ve done or are about to do. Wouldn’t it be worse to never ask that question and assume that everything I’ve ever done has been to the fullest extent of my capabilities? That would be really be living an illusion.
But you’re a close friend and I know you’re cautioning me against beating up on myself. You’re one of the few who knows my heart, has heard me teach, and still believes in God’s plans for my life. I appreciate your cautions and your friendship.
Blessings,
Jim
Sometimes circumstance buries our talents for us. The beast “circumstance” continues to kick dirt on our talents even as we attempt to uncover them. I referred to it recently as feeling like a “whack-a-mole”.
.
You know. At the game room, there is the game where you whack the head of the mole everytime it sticks it head up. Regardless, one keeps poking his/her head up. Trying to achieve all God planned, but the whacking is relentless.
.
Every once in a while, by the grace of God, the sun shines. One’s head stays up and enjoys the view. God replenishes. God refreshes. God gives new vision and the game begins…
.
God is sufficient in all things.
Jim,
I just happened upon this blog tonight while seeking what my talents are. I am so thankful that a brother in Christ has voiced the same fear I have had for a long time. I mostly feel that I have buried my talents, even though I am not exactly sure what they truly are. I have been very disturbed by the parable of the talents, and have really stressed about the fact that I most likely would be regretting deeply that I didn’t do all for Jesus.
Feeling like a failure in this world is bad enough. I can’t bear to hear my Lord call me a slothful and wicked servant in his kingdom. I want to search for and develop my talents for him. I want to hear “Well done thou good and faithful servant.”, more than anything. But I fear that I won’t.
I suppose the good news is that I (we), actually care to use my (our) talents for his glory. This must come from the Holy Spirit, because it isn’t natural to fallen man to want to please God. I guess I’ll take that as a positive starting point. Now, if I can just find and capture those illusive talents, I can begin to earn some interest for the kingdom.
Please pray for me and other believers who are not fully engaged in the battle for the kingdom. My search in earnest begins now. With the Lord’s help I will find his calling. I will pray that you too will be given God’s full grace, peace and filling of the Holy Spirit, to fulfill his purpose for you.
God bless you,
John
John,
Thanks for your reply. I actually preached on this passage yesterday, so I smiled when I saw your comment. One of the interesting things about this parable is the amount of the talent Jesus refers to. Look at this:
1 talent = 6,000 denarii
1 denarius = 1 days wage
So, 1 talent = 6,000 days wages
$10.00/hr @ 8 hours a day = $80.00 a day
$80.00 a day x 6,000 days = $480,000.00
6,000 days = 23.52 years of work, 5 days a week, 1-week vacation a year
1 talent = $480,000
2 talents = $960,000
5 talents = $2,400,000
Without trying to narrow the talent to mean one particular thing, Jesus is telling us that God has given those with even one talent more than enough to keep them busy in the Kingdom for a very long time.
I’m sure you have at least one passion. It could be teaching Scripture. That is my passion. It could be teaching children. Perhaps you’re good at math, or engineering. Maybe your passion is music. Some people in the church just want to help. They don’t want to lead a group or start a ministry. They simply enjoy being available to whoever needs their presence. The list of talents goes way beyond the lists found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, and Ephesians 4. If you love to cook, then the Holy Spirit can find a way for you to do that for the glory of God.
Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” I used the word “passion” because our passion determines our path. Prov. 3:5-6 talks about God showing us our path. Well, the words path and passion are related, so whatever He’s created in us that we are passion about, from art to zoology, that passion helps determine the path we take in life to use our talents to bless His Kingdom.
I hope this helps you in your search for your path in using all your talents for God.
Blessings,
Jim