Don't Bury Your Talent

I’ve previously written in Yes – The Key to Fulfilling God’s Will that God has great missions for each of us if we would only, in love and trust and of free will, offer our fiat – our yes – to the fulfilling of His plan…

Like Mary, we are each personally called to give flesh to Jesus. We are His hands. We are His feet. We are His eyes. We are His mouth. We are His love. In our home, our church and in our community, we are called to be living proclamations of the greatness of the Lord.

We need simply to say yes to whatever God asks of us and He will, as the saying goes, do the rest.

God gives us much and given our yes, our acceptance of these gifts, much can be expected of us in return. Consider The Parable of the Talents, Matthew 25:14-30.

What talents have God entrusted to you?

Are you a worthy steward?

Are you the best mom, dad, brother, sister, employee or boss that you can be? Are you the best husband or wife, son or daughter? Do you utilize your God-given talent to glorify His name and build up the Kingdom or do you squander your gifts and your divine inheritance contributing to the world’s spiritual recession?

Being a good steward is not the same as being a warp-drive volunteer junkie. Going and going until you don’t know up from down and your children can write “dad was here” in the dust accumulated on your seat at the dinner table is not a good thing. I’m merely suggesting that you prayerfully assess your “personal portfolio and ask God if there’s anything more He would like you to do or be in living according to what has been “measured to you.” Regarding a healthy and balanced use of talents; I have always found that peace in your spirit and in your family is a good indicator that you are in God’s will.

An Inspirational Steward

My wife and I have watched Madison “Maddie” Foss grow from a little girl into the amazing young woman she is today. To know her is to admire this delightful, charismatic teen.

Last year, at the age of sixteen, Maddie had an incredible opportunity to attend a 10-day leadership program at Harvard University. It was there that she received a “talent” in the form of an idea. That idea blossomed into an action plan and that action plan later inspired an entire community to perform an act of charity and kindness.

Maddie was snuggled in her favorite blanket when she heard on the local news that a local apartment complex had burned to the ground displacing all the residents. Cold nights were fast approaching.

Maddie put the rubber of her action plan to the road. She hit the ground running and gained the enthusiastic public support of some big names like Catholic Charities, LoveINC, the County Human Services Agency, a local department store, secular radio and press along with her school, faculty, parish, friends and family.

Maddie’s talent became a shared vision which resulted in a city-wide collaborative effort to make, collect and distribute more than seven hundred new blankets that wrapped and warmed the hearts of local children, seniors and families during the coming winter months.

How will your account be settled when Jesus returns?

One thing seems clear to me in this parable. Whether we are entrusted with one or one hundred talents, the return of those talents with interest gained from wise investment - the life application of our talents - is a source of great joy and reward or great disappointment to the master. Jesus, the master story-teller, utilizes only four words to make this harsh distinction:

“Well done, my good and faithful servant” or “You wicked, lazy servant!”

At the end of the day we only have one brief life to make the best of what God has given us.

“Place your intelligence, your talents, your enthusiasm, your compassion, and your fortitude at the service of life”. Pope John Paul II, World Youth Day, 1993

Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Mark 4: 24-25

Don’t bury your talent.