Two Talents

A few weeks ago I was blessed to have a friend over for the day. Her husband and I grew up together, and she I had gotten to know each other better through doing a book study via Skype. I was looking forward to spending the day with her and her four children.  But I was also nervous.  I look up to her in many ways; she seems to have it all together when it comes to managing her home and being the wife and mother God has called her to be.  I, on the other hand, well, have a long way to go.

Comparing ourselves with others isn’t something we intentionally set out to do.  We know that it usually promotes either pride or self-deprecation.  But still isn’t it human nature to have those thoughts pass through our minds from time to time?

I find these thoughts making an unwelcome entrance sometimes.  In areas where I am strong, they take the form of pride.  For instance, one of my strengths is being a disciplined person. And when someone mentions struggling in this area, it’s easy for me to think, “Well, I’ve got that one covered.”  (But to be honest, if I ever got out of the habit in my regular disciplines, I’m sure I’d be struggling the same way.)

On the opposite end, in areas where I am weak, I find that I berate myself when I see how someone else is doing it better. I’m particularly hard on myself when I watch mothers who don’t work outside the home.  I start going down the road of how I don’t measure up.

I have to think that I’m not the only one who fights these thoughts (or gives in to them).  Perhaps it’s just human nature for us to look at others and compare.

One morning, out of nowhere, a particular Scripture passage came to mind. It’s the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. If you’re familiar with the passage, you may think of it the same way I did: The moral of the story is that we are to take what we are given and work to increase it, to give back to God instead of just sitting on it.

But I had never really considered the beginning of the passage where Jesus describes that each person got different numbers of “talents.” (in other words, a type of currency)  One servant got five, one got two, and one got one.  I started thinking that possibly another point of the story is the sheer fact that the talents weren’t distributed evenly. If the only point of the parable was to show how two servants were faithful and one was not, couldn’t the same point had been made had all three servants received two talents? 

Therefore, perhaps we need to look a little closer at the fact that God gives “talents” in different measure.

Perhaps we should all view ourselves as having two talents.  We can always find someone who has “less” and we can always find someone who has “more.”  What matters is not how much we have but instead what we are doing with what we are given.

I’m not one for New Year’s Resolutions, but this year I’m going to make my focus to be faithful with the “two” talents I’ve been given and stop giving into my mind’s temptation to look to my right and left and compare.  I am responsible for what I’ve been given. (Of course, when we’re faithful with what we’ve been given, we will be given more, with which we are to be faithful.)

And one final thing I noticed.  The master had the same response to the servant with five talents as he did the servant with two. “You have been faithful with little.”  He didn’t say to the one with two, “You’ve been faithful with a little,” and to the one with five, “And you’ve been faithful with a little more.”  It was ALL little in the big scheme of things.  But despite how little it was, both servants were commended as “good and faithful.”

May I be faithful with my two talents.

A God Moment

Sometimes things just happen that you know are "God-moments." You know, the things that you know aren't mere coincidence but were undoubtedly a God-whisper to you.  Sometimes it's a reminder of a truth you know. Sometimes it's a confirmation. Sometimes it's an answer.

I've had a few of those experiences recently.  The most profound was today on my way home from work.  It was 5:15 and I passed a funeral procession. Kind of an odd time, I thought. Still, having lived in a funeral home (the upstairs apartment for those who don't know) about 10 years ago when Matt and I first got married, death was, pardon the pun, simply a way of life.  But for some reason this time, I just stared at the hearse as it passed by, and the thought of how fleeting life is crossed my mind.  This person, whoever it was, was alive just a few days ago, and now he or she wasn't.  Sometimes it takes these things to remind us of our mortality.  

The God-moment came when I realized what song just came on the radio as I was stopped for the funeral procession.  It was Third Day's "Trust in Jesus." Here is an excerpt of the lyrics:

One of these days we all will stand in judgment for
Every single word that we have spoken
One of these days we all will stand before the Lord....

What are you going to do when your time has come
And your life is done and there's nothing you can stand on
What will you have to say at the judgment throne

I already know the only thing that I can say

I Trust in Jesus

My great Deliverer
My strong Defender
The Son of God
I trust in Jesus
Blessed Redeemer
My Lord forever
The Holy One, the Holy One

There's nothing I can do on my own to find forgiveness
It's by His grace alone I trust in Jesus
Trust in Jesus

All I could think was, wow.  And then, Thank you, Jesus.  The Creator God-inspired Scripture is crystal clear that we are all destined for an eternity without God (the lake of fire, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth...to name a few descriptions).  God cannot bear the presence of sin.  However in his great love he sent Jesus to bear our sin for us. To die for our sins. And to conquer death so we can through him be saved from our sins.  

Make no mistake about it, every knee will bow, every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.  The question is, do we bow and confess now, or after it's too late?  

Unless Jesus comes for his followers first, someday that will be my body in that hearse.  And I deserve an eternity separated from God.  But I also have full confidence that by Jesus's sacrifice and by God's grace alone, while my body is in that hearse, my soul will be with Jesus. Spared from the torment without him.  

I trust in Jesus, my great deliverer.  

If you do, too, I hope this blog will spur you to remember how great a gift you have, your salvation.  It came at a price.  Let's honor the price Jesus paid by being faithful to him and doing what we can to share this priceless gift with those who don't know about it.

If you haven't trusted in Jesus, please know that he is the only way we have peace and can know without a shadow of a doubt that our future is secure.  And I'd be glad to answer any questions and point you to the Scriptures that God inspired men to write, that make clear the path of salvation.

Because one of these days we unholy people will ALL stand in judgment before a Holy God.

The Ultimate Comparison

When I was getting ready for the arrival of my first child, I was fully prepared for life after Baby. His schedule was already set in stone, and I knew what to do and what not to do.  How come? Because I had the Baby Bible, known to some as Baby Wise. After all, I had several suggestions that this was THE ultimate baby manual. (Even the clerk at Hastings told me how great it was as I was checking out.)  I ignored my mom and mother-in-law’s concerned raised eyebrows at my predetermined set schedule with no regard that Baby might not cooperate.  After all, they didn’t have all this great information. The Baby Bible hadn’t been printed when they had their babies. (How in the world did they manage?)  A few weeks later, these sweet mothers compassionately withheld their “I told you so” when Baby Drew didn’t exactly eat, sleep, and play on cue despite my “by the book” leadings. 

After a few weeks, I realized that Baby Wise was a very useful book, to be considered along with my mother’s instincts.  Getting him on a schedule was great.  Letting him cry himself to sleep as an infant was not.

Today Drew is almost 5, so my attention is now captured by parenting books.  I have read several that were very helpful.  Just this morning, I saw a review of a new parenting book that seemed very promising.  After reading the review, I was tempted to do the “aha!” thing, thinking maybe this was the parenting book to end all Christian parenting debates.  Then I read the comments on the review and saw some who were as intrigued as I was and some who had valid arguments the other way. 

So what is one to do?  We are in an age where we have all the information we could ever want at our fingertips.  If we want to find something new to try with our children, we can find it. If we want to find something to justify our present viewpoint, we can find it. If we want something to prove that someone else is doing it wrong, we can find it.  You name it, we can find it.

What we fail to miss, even as Christians, is that “THE” parenting book exists in all of our homes. We probably have several copies, in fact. It’s the Word of God itself.  Sure, it doesn’t tell you how to get your infant to sleep through the night in 8 weeks, and it doesn’t tell you how long and when (or if) you should use time outs with your toddler.  But still, it is sufficient.  The Gospel itself – that we’re all sinners and in need of Christ to save us from our sins – stands alone needing nothing added. (After all, the grace of the Gospel is our child’s greatest need anyway.)

That being said, of course I am going to read parenting books.  Of course I’m going to click on parenting articles. Of course I’m going to peruse parenting blogs.  But, I’m going to make a point of putting on a little more discernment.  I’m going to seek out various points of view before I make an assumption that one is right. I’m going to be open that what is right for your child might not be right for mine. And vice versa. But above all,  I’m going to compare what I read with Scripture. 

I’m also not going to assume that I know all I need to know about Scripture.  Anyone can prooftext their position (i.e. find Scripture that underscores the point being made).  When a writer is quoting Scripture, it’s easy to take him or her at his or her word.  I’m realizing, however, that my responsibility is to be in the Word daily, and more importantly, read it more than any other book.  That way, I can “test everything” I read by what I have been reading in Scripture. 

God is funny sometimes.  I may not be able to quote the entire Bible, but what I read this morning might just have application in what I read later. (Case in point, a Scripture quoted in an article I read today was the exact Scripture I read this morning.)   Nothing can go against the Holy Spirit-inspired Word.

And it’s that Word that we must go to. It’s that word that we must compare all other works of writing. Even this one.