The Talent You're Sitting On

Scripture:
"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 25:21

Have you ever watched someone discover a gift they didn't know they had? Maybe it was a friend who finally tried painting and realised they had an artist inside them all along. Or a coworker who volunteered to lead a project and discovered they were born to organise people.

The tragedy isn't lacking talent. It's having talent and never using it.

In Jesus' parable of the talents, the servant who buried his one talent wasn't evil or rebellious. He was afraid. Fear told him the safest choice was to do nothing. And that's exactly what makes his story so relatable. How many of us have gifts we're sitting on because we're scared? Scared we're not good enough. Scared we'll fail. Scared people will judge us.

But here's what that servant missed: his master didn't give him the talent to torment him. He gave it to him because he trusted him with it. The expectation wasn't perfection; it was participation.

Think about what's in your hands right now. Maybe you're good at encouraging people, but you keep that warmth to yourself. Maybe you can write, but your journal stays hidden. Maybe you understand technology, but you've never offered to help anyone struggling with it. Maybe you have life experience that could guide someone younger, but you think, "Who am I to give advice?"

God doesn't waste gifts. If He gave you something, it's because someone, somewhere needs it. Your encouragement might be the thing that keeps someone going through a hard week. Your writing might put words to what someone else feels but can't express. Your tech skills might help an older person stay connected to their grandkids. Your story might be the map someone else needs for their own journey.

The master in Jesus' story didn't just reward the faithful servants with a bonus check. He invited them into greater joy and deeper purpose. That's what happens when you stop burying your gifts and start using them. Life becomes more meaningful. You become more fully yourself. And God's kingdom advances in ways that wouldn't happen without your unique contribution.

Reflection: What gift or ability have you been sitting on out of fear? What would it look like to take one small step toward using it this week?

Prayer: God, You've given me gifts I haven't fully used. Help me see past my fear and insecurity, trusting that You equipped me for a reason. Give me the courage to take the first step. Amen.