What Good is Just One?

What is it with me?

A few years ago, I wrote a piece on The Elder Brother. Most people read the story of the Prodigal Son and see the incredible love and grace of the father, the importance of repentance, and the surety of our Heavenly Father's forgiveness when we repent. They look at the older brother and rightly see the self-righteousness, jealousy, and lack of compassion he displays.

Me? Forget the prodigal. My heart bleeds for the forgotten older brother. Yes, forgotten, because in the excitement over the prodigal's return, no one bothered to send a message to the faithful son working diligently out in the field.

And I'm doing it again--looking at a story intended to teach a right/wrong lesson, and siding with the "wrong"side. This time, it's the Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30.  It's a long passage, so I'll sum it up:

Getting ready to leave on a trip, the master of the house gives one servant 5 talents, the next one 2 talents and the last servant one. While he's gone, the first two servants double their money, and are able to present their success to the master with joy at his return, and are rewarded. The final servant had buried the money. When the master returned, the servant dug up the money and gave it back. The master was furious and condemned him to "outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

We applaud the first two servants for their diligence, and shake our head in disgust over the laziness of the third. Although the talent in this story was actually a unit of money, most of us get the connection between the monetary talent, and the English word "talent" meaning "skill, ability." We understand that we are to use the talents God gives us and not hide them.

Jesus Himself showed little mercy for the unproductive third servant.

However, if I may, I would like to take a moment to look at this story from his point of view.

All of us know at least a few five-talent people. People whose talent oozes out at their pores. They're skilled, confident, out in front of the pack. Often, they're the people we wish we could be. Most of them are more than happy to share their gifts with the world. In a choir, we would call them the soloist.

Then there are the two-talent people. Their talent doesn't ooze out of them, but they are competent in their gifts--and usually a bit more humble. A few of them hide their gifts, but for the most part, they seem to fit easily into their niche. They're the back-up singers for the five-talent people.

Finally, there's the one-talents. These would be the ones who have a voice - but are best used in the choir, as one of many.

In the story of the talents, I tend to identify with that third servant. By himself, he's probably content with his talent. But then he sees the blazing beauty of the five-talent servant, and the solid competence of the two-talent servant. He looks down at his tiny little one-talent, and realizes he can never measure up to the first two. The thought crosses his mind, They are so good at what they do, what would they think if they saw how insignificant my gift is? 

"I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground."  Matthew 25:25

I cannot judge him harshly because I've been there. Have you? If they see what I have to offer, they'll just laugh!  So we turn, and we hide what God has given us, because we don't think it is enough.

But that's not our decision to make. In fact, it's a decision that angers the master. He responds to the servant,

"Thou wicked and slothful servant... at my coming I should have received mine own with usury." vs. 26-27

The gift came from God, and when He returns, He expects us to give it back to Him with use(- ury).

Often, I look at what I have to give, and it appears one talent is all I've got. What is that next to what Jane Doe sitting next to me has? What if I am rejected? Or worse, laughed at? Or ignored? That's almost as bad, because then I start to put all sorts of evil thoughts in the other person's head. What if my gift is treated with contempt? Afraid, I put what I have away, hiding it in the earth of my heart. It's so little, I think, no one will notice its lack.

"THOU WICKED AND SLOTHFUL SERVANT!!!!"

The words thunder at me. I was not given the gift to hide it in a fit of cowardice. Because no matter how small I think it is, God had a plan for it when He gave it to me. I am reminded of the George Herbert poem where an entire kingdom was lost for want of  a nail in a horse's shoe.

So, to my fellow one-talenters out there, let me offer a bit of encouragement.

"But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:

That no flesh should glory in his presence."  I Corinthians 1:27-29

Don't forget that it's not about us--it's about God. It is not about what I can do, it is about what He can do.

"...For when I am weak, then He is strong."  II Corinthians 12:10

I am not asked to control the effect of my gift, I am only asked to use it.

Lord Jesus, please give us the courage to step out and use what You have given us, no matter how small, for Your glory. Remind us that we do not need an ocean of faith, just a tiny mustard seed. Teach us that You who made the earth out of nothing, can use even the smallest talent for Your purpose. Thank-You for giving each of us a place in Your plan. Amen.

Jules

I Surrender...All?

                         

All to Jesus, I surrender

All to Him I freely give...

The words from the old hymn drift upward from the radio as I drive home on this lovely Spring day. What memories it brings back!

When I was young, I loved this song. I sang it with gusto. Of course I surrendered all to Jesus! I was completely secure in my "surrender;" maybe even a bit proud. 

I had no idea what I was talking about.

Fast forward twenty years--to a time when things had been taken away from me that I didn't know were up for discussion. A time when my well-planned life had completely fallen apart, and my hopes, dreams, expectations, and absolute assurances had all crumbled into dust. 

Suddenly, the song is not so easy to sing. Discussing the song with a new friend, we shook our heads together and agreed the song should not even be in the church repertoire, because no one could sing it truthfully. They either didn't know what "all" meant, or they were lying through their teeth.

That was four years ago, and once again my perspective has changed. 

Over the past ten years, I have been asked to surrender my church, my friends, my husband, the house I loved, my control...even my children. Instead of tossing the song aside as unrealistic, I have come to understand I do need to surrender all. I have also learned that "all" in this case actually means, "ALL."

Some things I fought God over for years before I finally surrendered--only to find my struggle had been keeping me from a beautiful treasure He wanted to give me. The surrender gets easier as I

1) acknowledge God's sovereignty and bow to His power over my weakness and

2) remember He is always working for His glory...and my good.

Sometimes I believe I have finally done it--finally surrendered it all. Pat myself on the back. What a good Christian I am!

But Jesus knows my heart, He sees the things I've hidden even from myself, and He wants it ALL. 

I'm walking along, minding my own business, thinking I'm doing pretty good at submitting to my Lord and WHAM! Out of nowhere, something I have held onto is ripped from my grasp.

"But Lord, YOU gave me that! I'm supposed to hold onto it." I protest in agony.

No answer. 

"You talked directly to Abraham and Samuel," I grumble under my breath.

Still no answer.

Reluctantly, rebellious to my core, I take it to the Lord in prayer.

"Lord, I confess I'm rebellious. I want to surrender, but I can't."

Then I remember. I really can't. Nor is it my job. My job is to do what I have just done: confess my weakness and inability to Christ. Through my tears, a calming peace steals over my soul. The answer, as always, is in the Word of God.

"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us of all unrighteousness." I John 1:9

I don't have to do this on my own. Slowly, I mentally pry open my fingers and ask my Lord to help me surrender even this thing to Him.

And He does.

All to Jesus I surrender

All to Him I freely give.

I will ever love and trust Him

In His presence daily live.

This song is not the self-righteous proclamation of the hypocrite. It is the heart cry of the true believer. As I sing the song, I am reminded right now, today, there are things I need to surrender. I sing in faith and humility and brokenness, opening my hands to release what I am clinging to in this moment.

Tomorrow there will be other things. Tomorrow I will need to sing the song again. And the day after tomorrow. And the day after that. And next week. And next year. And...you get the picture.

Is there something in your life you have not surrendered? Do you understand how much Jesus loves you and wants to mold it into something that will bring glory to Him and good to you?

Jesus is not jealous and spiteful. But He is jealous in His intense love for us, determined that nothing block the healing relationship He wants with us.

Many things He asks of us seem opposite to logic. Surrender in the world is defeat.

Surrender in Christ is victory.

Trust His plan, rest in His love, and let go of all else.

May your day be richly blessed, 

Jules