Living Through Talents

This morning I would like to start us off with a story. To some it maybe quite familiar to others not so much. One morning, three young lads gathered together to take stock of all the skills they had. As it is with boys, this was a competition. However, the competition was not to see who had the most but who was the most innovative with what they each had been entrusted with. They all knew that what they had wasn't only for their own enjoyment per say, but that they had to give an account of how they had used what was given. The first lad with a smile brighter than the sun, informed his friends that he was able to double that which was given to him. The second lad with an accomplished look reported the same.  The third lad had a smug look on his face. He instead of investing in what was given to him, decided to dig a hole and keep it until the day of reckoning (when they had to give an account for how they used their talents). The first two guys were baffled by this  as this was not innovative at all.

In this story we see two individuals who decided to go above and beyond what they were given to increase the share of their talents/skills. We also see one individual who decides to hoard what was given to him instead of investing his time and energy to increase his talents/skills. From first glance, which group do you fall into?

True happiness involves the full use of one's power and talents. - John W. Gardner

Many of us for a good amount of our lives fall into the latter category - hoarding what was entrusted to us. The reasons for this varies from fear to right-out laziness. If you are like me you like to procrastinate and then allude to the misguide thought that you work better under pressure. There is an old Jamaican proverb that comes to mind when thinking of this, "Fiyah deh a muss muss tail him tink a cool breeze". In this instance, the translation to this proverb is that we put ourselves in a precarious situation when our comfort in doing nothing leads to our demise. Some of us have yet to put our talents to use because some jealous or bad mind soul spoke lies over our talents and we believed them.

I have heard myself and others complain about how we have nothing to offer or worst yet compare our talents/skills to others. This is a grave offense to ourselves and those we compare ourselves to. We all have been given unique talents to ensure that we are capable as the next in leaving this world a better place than we found it. We can't afford to be envious of our neighbor when if given the opportunity we would not be able to stand a milli-second in their shoes. We must learn to use what we have, to be the best version of ourselves. At the end of the day our talents/skills were given to us and therefore we are ultimately responsible for how they are used.

We are not in a position in which we have nothing to work with. We already have capacities, talents, direction, missions, callings. - Abraham H. Maslow

I believe that we all were created with great divine purpose in mind. What are your talents? What do people constantly say you are good at? What have you been putting-off that you need to do today? What lies do you need to counteract with truth today?

You my dear were created for greatness. Your talents are needed in this world. The rest of us can't really live until you grace us with what has been entrusted to you. Shake off the shackles of doubt and surround yourself with positive souls. Allow no negativity to corrode your talents. Nurture and multiply them with action and joy.

If you have a talent, use it in every which way possible. Don't hoard it. Don't dole it out like a miser. Spend it lavishly, like a millionaire intent on going broke. - Brenda Francis

There will be a time for reporting just what we did with what was given to us.... Let's make an effort to help each ensure our reports are worth listening to.

For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.  And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ - Matthew 25:29-30