It doesn’t make sense to bury the things that can bless us or bless others, but it happens all the time. Why do we do it? We almost always feel better after we have worked hard for something and given a valiant effort. There is a sense of "good pride" in the fact that we have given our very best to something. We almost always feel good after we have served someone in need. Part of what makes our celebration lunch so enjoyable after Serve Day is that we have worked hard with each other for the good of others.So why do we bury our talents? One website gave six reasons why we do not give of ourselves to help others.
1. Fear of not measuring up to expectations
2. Insecurity in our abilities
3. Fear of criticism
4. Apathy or laziness
5. The reward doesn't appeal to us
6. We are not connected with the person(s) needing or wanting us to get involved.
Read through the parable of the talents in Matthew 25:14-30. Now look carefully again at this list of six reasons why we do not give of ourselves to help others. Which of the six reasons are present in the story Jesus told? Can you relate to any of the six, or even with the one-talent guy in the parable?
It seems to me that the key issue is ultimately reason #6. My reasoning for this is that when we have a close relationship with someone, we will overcome all the other reasons that would keep us from getting involved. There have been many times in my life where I thought to myself, "I could never ___________." (You fill in the blank.) But then one of our children may have needed that kind of care or involvement, and the next thing you know, we were right there doing the very thing we thought we could never do.
In the parable, the wicked and lazy servant did not have a relationship of respect or love for his master, so that made it easier for him to just dig a hole in the ground and bury the talent. In our 40-Day Journey we are challenged to use the gifts God has provided for us. We need to put away our "shovels" and stop digging holes of apathy, fear, or anything else. Let’s pray that we will love others fully and actively from the heart, and that will give us the strength to overcome any excuse for not helping them.
- Don McLaughlin
