Are we living with eyes downcast, or in light of the master’s return?
AS we struggle through life, aware of global conflicts and feeling the reality of rising prices, it’s tempting to hunker down and focus on just getting through each day. But in the midst of our fears, let me encourage us to lift our eyes.
I’m humbled when I meet people who started with little or who have lost much, yet delight in life and are thankful for what they have.
Such encounters should lead us to reflect – what have we been given in life, and how we use it.
In the week before his death, Jesus told a number of parables describing the Kingdom of Heaven – not as a future of fluffy clouds but a reality that has already begun.
One story is the parable of the talents – a talent being a bag of gold (probably worth half a lifetime’s salary).
Before he goes away, the master gives talents to his servants – one has five, another two and the third servant is given one. They are left to invest the money, probably in trading.
The one with five eagerly sets to work, followed by the one with two. Both double their money. It reminds me of the childhood story of American Investor Warren Buffett, who bulk bought cans of drinks from his grandfather and sold them on to his school friends, at a profit. (I’m not sure how the local headteachers would respond – but it’s entrepreneurial!) bags
By contrast, the third servant, fearing his master’s reaction, buries the gold.
On his return, the master settles accounts with his servants. Those who have turned a profit are rewarded, but the one who hid the money is rebuked. The master gave the talent to be used, not hidden. The third servant hasn’t understood the master.
It raises the question for Jesus’ listeners and for us – how would you use a bag of gold? An interesting quirk of history is that the original word for the bag of gold was talanton – from which we get the English word ‘talent’ – based on this parable.
But the story is not really about our skills, rather it is about the resources and opportunities we have and how we use them.
So how are we using the gift of life? My web browser keeps popping up with adverts about early retirement (I’m not there yet...) but it reveals an attitude to work and life – stop working when you can, sit back and enjoy.
While it is good to enjoy the good things that God has given us, the key question is: are we using the gifts God has given us, productively, creatively and to serve others?
And, with the return of the master in mind, are we living in light of Jesus’s return?
The first two servants are commended with the words, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant!’
Wouldn’t it be great to hear those words?
I’m humbled when I meet people who started with little or who have lost much, yet delight in life and are thankful for what they have.