Thoughts from a 1 or 2

Vacation Bible School concluded last night. It was a great week with the kids being shown the word of God in a variety of ways. It is certainly our hope that those seeds found fertile soil (not hard, stony, or thorny) and that each will carry some fruit as a result for the rest of their lives.

Kids are funny creatures (as are we all), and it’s hard to predict what each was hearing as the 5 parables were taught. When questioned at the close of each session, some funny answers came out, but also some that indicated understanding.

As I was the “mouth” seeking to present those parables, I realized that my own understanding was not as clear as I assumed. Don’t we all understand the parable of the talents? You know, one servant was given 5 talents, one was given 2, and the third was given 1 talent. Later, each had to give an account for what he had done with what he had been given. The meaning is pretty obvious, right?

Maybe! Maybe not! In preparing to tell the story, I mulled over the diversity of talent distribution. Does it seem fair? Fair in whose opinion? Yours? Mine? Am I the judge of the earth that I should sovereignly decide what “fair” is? Way obvious answer—NO, I’m not (nor do I want to be). Humans have such earthly limitations in knowledge, wisdom, and understanding.

As I think about it, God demands his sovereignty. We earthlings should understand that? If we create something, we want to make the decisions about it. When I was in a college Art 101 class, we were using modeling clay to express ourselves (I don’t remember about what). My instructor came to my desk, picked up my clay expression, formed it into something quite different, and said, “There, that’s what you want it to look like.” Well, it wasn’t! But I wanted a good grade, so I kept quiet on the outside; however, inside I was storming, “No, it isn’t!” It was my clay and my expression—my decision, not hers! That memory helps me comprehend God’s sovereignty as the potter over his clay.

He knows each of us, our genetics, our capabilities, our past experiences, our interests, and our passions. He then assigns us “talents” to allow us to use those particular abilities. The lesson from the parable of the talents is then to “do all I CAN for the good of the Kingdom with whatever I have been given” and then be willing to stretch a little more to see what I COULD do.

The temptation might well be to follow the path of the 1-talent servant and hide it because of fear, laziness, envy, or apathy and then make the excuse that “It’s God’s fault” for not giving me more. Many are tempted to say, “Someone else who was given more can do the job.”

I know we don’t all have 5 talents, but we have 1 or 2, and we are promised that same wonderful reward for faithfulness in using them. How cool! Even if we have only 1, the reward is the same if we whole-heartedly use it. Consider, if we were all 5's like the Billy Grahams or Michael W. Smiths, who would teach or sing in the local church? We’re in desperate need of 1’s and 2’s. I can’t say for sure, but I’m guessing that heaven will have way more 1’s and 2’s than 5’s.

♫ Whatever you do, whatever you do,
Work at it with all your heart.
Whatever you do, whatever you do,
Work at it with all your heart,
As working for the Lord
And not for man
Work at it with all your heart.
As working for the Lord
Not for man
Work at it with all your heart.
Hear God’s call, big or small
Give your all, get going.
Make a start, do your part
With all your heart, get going! ♫

Jamie Owens Collins