Matthew 25:14-30 tells the parable of the talents. In this account, we find a wealthy man who leaves town and entrusts different sums of money with his servants. To one he gives 5 talents (a talent was a sum of money, about 20 years’ worth of a servant’s wages), to another 2 talents, and to a third servant he gives just 1. While some servants possessed many talents, everyone was given at least one. We, as Christians, are no different. Some of us may have strengths to do many things; some of us may have talents to do a few things; ALL of us have been entrusted with SOMETHING by our master. God is entrusting us to steward what He has given us well.
Unfortunately, many times we miss God’s plan of stewardship because we assume it applies solely to our money, when in reality God wants us to steward well so much more. We each are given certain talents and abilities that God intends for us to use to draw others to Him. God GAVE them to us for the sole reason of us penetrating the world and grow more believers-the multiplication effect. We were not given gifts & talents to make money, although that can be a side benefit. We were not given gifts and talents to make us happy, although this can be a perk. We were given them so that we would USE them to reach others for Christ. How many of us are actively, daily looking for ways to do that? Sometimes we mistakenly think that only paid ministers were designed or called to do this, when we ALL are called to do this. Your world might be your home, your neighborhood, your workplace. However, in today’s growing age of technology where we’re all a few clicks away from being connected, your world is likely so much more. What are you doing to reach others on social media through your Facebook posts or Tweets? Are you more concerned with keeping up appearances and making sure others know how #blessed you are or are you busy trying to use the gifts God gave you for His glory?
In order to use your gifts, you must KNOW them. Do you? When was the last time you not only spent time understanding what your gifts were, but reflecting how to better incorporate them into your life and how you spend your time? Are you too busy doing ‘stuff’ that you don’t have room to prioritize your time effectively and grow the giftings He’s entrusted to you?
Maybe you have the enemy’s voice inside your head spewing lies and trying to convince you your not enough; your talents aren’t special and there’s nothing truly unique about you? Mistakenly, you’ve believed these lies and never pushed yourself to further develop your special giftings. Maybe you mistakenly believe that if it’s hard, it must not be where God wants you? That if you’re rowing against the wind, you must be in the wrong place or doing the wrong thing? (this is the topic of my next blog) When in reality, God placed you in THIS spot to row against the wind so that you would KNOW it’s GOD and not YOU that made it possible. That HE WANTS you to struggle so that you need Him. That he knows if it’s NOT a struggle, you’ll mistakenly believe you did it on your own.
Once again, we can find the enemy’s lies convincing you that if it’s hard, it’s not of God. The lie is there to keep you stuck. To keep you immobile, not moving, not growing; not helping anyone. The lie is there to keep your gifts and talents buried so that they’re not producing fruit-not in your life nor in anyone else’s
Knowing your spiritual gifts, talents and strengths isn’t something that’s nice to do or great for others, it’s essential for you if you’re going to yield the fruit in your life that God has planned. Knowing the intrinsic uniqueness of your makeup is one of my passions. I believe this knowledge is necessary for your life to be fully rooted in Christ. And if I’m being honest, it’s because it’s something I have struggled with myself for so long.
For more years than I care to admit, I believed the lie. I believed that I’m not enough-not good enough, smart enough, pretty enough, talented enough, fill-in-the-blank enough. But all of these ‘not enoughs’ are based on lies …it’s not based on who God says I am. It’s not based on God’s opinion of me. It’s not based how He sees me as HIS daughter whom He dearly loves. A daughter He longs will FINALLY use her gifts and talents for her Father’s glory. He knows the abilities within me and wants so much for me to see them too, believe in them, and use them to help others find their way to Him. He knows that my life can have an impact on others, not because I’m special, but because He is. He desperately wants me to know and believe that too.