Investing talents

I've been reading a wonderfully inspirational book, The True Measure of a Woman, by Lisa Bevere, (buy here through Amazon!) and something in a chapter I just finished finally clicked last night. It referred to 'The Parable of the Talents,' in Matthew 25:14-30.

I was recently persuaded to join MySpace by a couple friends who wanted me to keep in touch online with them there. I began searching old classmates and came across a few that seemed to have made quite a success of their life, achieving their dreams at such a young age and still moving on up. I had a sudden, sinking feeling, like "Wow, I thought I was doing alright, but look at them! They're really doing something!" Comparison, doubt, and jealousy swept over me like a shadow, consuming me for a moment, enough so that I had a hard time seeing through the dark for the blessings that I have. Then it occurred to me:

~God gives us each talents according to what He believes we can achieve with them. He trusts we will have faith in His intentions, enough to maximize the opportunity He provided.

In Matthew 25:14-30, the parable of the servants and the talents Jesus distributed is told. As I understood it, Jesus invested money with three servants, who each received a different amount, and He expected them to have faith in His distribution. Two servants invested their money and doubled the investment, while the last servant, having received the least amount, became skeptical of His intentions and hid the talent so as not to deal with the opportunity he was given. In the end, Jesus came back to "settle accounts" and the first two servants were rewarded for having invested their money wisely and profitable for their Master. The third servant was punished for his lack of faith in his Master, as well as for his ignorance and laziness.

What I learn from this:

By trusting in God's gift, the first two servants were able to make full use of the 'talents' they received, and in the end, they profited not only by investing wisely, but by showing faith in His investment in them. The third servant was punished because he did not see how he could prosper from his Master's money or plans, so he hid it and ignored the potential for reward.

What clicked for me was that God may have given some of my peers greater amounts of 'talents' than given to me, but that I am supposed to make the most of what He has entrusted to me. Further, I will be rewarded as fully as the others who meet their potential for God's investments in them. God gives us the amount of 'talents' which He believes we have the ability to spend wisely and give back to Him in return.

I may be mixing up a bit of the story; I am not a minister, but a woman reading the Word and making sense of the blessings entrusted to me. How much has God given you? When He comes to settle accounts will you be able to prove you spent His investment in you well?

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!'" ~Matthew 25:23~