conjectural navel gazing; jesus in lint form

more reflections on talents

Matt e-mailed his reflection on the Matthew passage discussion. I do so love a testimony like this one. It serves as a great example of how people relate such a parable to their lives. This is posted with his permission.

I was online reading your sermon from last Sunday over Matt. 25. I've been thinking about that passage over the last week or so, and thought it was interesting to read your perspective about it. I went through so many of the same emotions that you describe a number of years ago. I used to play music pretty actively, and always felt that I should achieve some amount of success (whatever that's supposed to mean). I suppose I had a great deal of pride in my ability and work ethic, and felt like everyone else should recognize that, too. It was hard watching friends and associates get record deals and have commercial success--especially when I felt like I was better than they were.

I think one day, it occrred to me that I was being envious. I certainly felt a great deal of guilt over it, and I realized its impact on my happiness. But that didn't make it easier. I think that God started to show me that he wasn't giving me the thing that I wanted because it just wasn't good for me--it would lead to increasingly self destructive behavior, it would make me unhappy, prideful, and angry.

If that were the case, then, I felt like I must be a complete loser. After all, I should have been able to handle the responsibility, and if I couldn't, that meant that something was wrong with me. It took me some time to realize the importance of such a simple cliche--I'm just what God made me to be, and I should use what I have to serve him no matter what.

And I think that's how I view this passage. The servant with the single talent looks at the other two guys and thinks, "Well, I COULD do something if God had given me what he's given these other two. But I don't really have enough to actually achieve anything, so I'll just put in the ground. But maybe God didn't give him five or ten times as much because it would have been overwhelming. Maybe it would have led to excessive pride and self-sufficiency. Maybe it would have created too much stress for that servant to handle, and he would have become burdened and unhappy.

So God, in his infinite wisdom and love, gave him an amount he could handle. It wasn't too much, but it wasn't too little. The servant was wicked because he essentially said, "God, I could have done something with this, but it wasn't enough, and you accumulate money/resources/whatever in lots of ways no matter what I do. So here it is, just as you gave it to me, untouched and unused.

I found it powerful. I hope you all get something good and helpful from it.

Posted by tripp at November 17, 2005 12:28 PM