Hidden Potential Hidden Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

 It looks like after having placed a branch by the fence, we seem to have finally taken care of the ‘deer’ problem in our yard.  The weather is already spring-like, and we enjoy the sunshine.

The Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30)

I received an email this morning that got me thinking about my gifts and talents in different shapes and forms.  The person writing the email spoke about the different interpretation of the word “talent” in various English translations.

In the original text it clearly refers to a large amount of money or equivalent.

To me it could mean a gift of any kind given to 3 servants who are to increase it by investment. 

Character skills or potentials

As I was thinking of it either way, I found out that what it is talking about in this parable, not so obviously, are the character skills of everyone involved in the deal.  It is the character skills of these individuals that are important.

You need character to be able to keep a job, and for investment, but most of all you need character to be able to use your abilities and spiritual gifts behind the scenes when no one is watching.

In the bestseller I am rereading called “Hidden Potential” by Adam Grant, an organizational psychologist, he speaks about the hidden potential in people whom in our society have been swept off as having no more potential for success.  It is an interesting book because it mentions the presence of talents in individuals that are not given a chance to excel.  I wonder if that is everywhere.  Many talented people out there who have not been discovered simply because they were not nurtured at an earlier time.

I am saying all this to say that maybe our talents, money, and potentials are all connected in our attitudes and our character skills.

At the end of the Parable, the servant who had not invested was called slothful and wicked just because he had not understood the principles behind gift-giving and investing.  It would have profited the servant as well as others and the Master if he had put in the work.

As each talent weight up to a 35 kg or 75 lbs of gold or silver this parable shows the power of each talent or gift when used by an individual in society.

Something we might all want to consider is why we neglect our abilities and gifts as they should all be used for the Glory of God.  Does the enemy of our souls know something we don’t yet know?