If I was given a list of people from the Bible from which I was asked to choose who I would like to hear people say that I am most like, I would not choose this one. No. Not this person and not willingly. I would like to choose someone whose story showed some level of success (like King David), or faith (Abraham), kindness (Rahab) or strength(Simon the Cyrene), perseverance (Job) or wisdom(Deborah or Solomon). Not someone who was called worthless, wicked and lazy.

I would rather be given a label that connoted something positive not something negative. Often I also find that I try not to be branded negatively and will try to avoid a negative label. But that is an article for another day. Have you ever read a story and realized that you had completely misunderstood a character because it never crossed your mind that you are very much like them? You see, recently I reread this story and a couple of things stood out for me.

The story is a parable that Jesus told while illustrating what the kingdom of God is. In this parable of the talents, there is a man who goes off on a journey but before he leaves he calls three of his servants and gives them talents (measure of money) to take care of until his return. He gives the first one five, the second two and the third one talent. The first one invests his portion and doubles it. The second one the same – doubles it. The third buries his. When the master comes back he is pleased with the efforts of the first two and blesses them. The following is what happens with the third person.

‘ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ ‘

Matthew 25:24-30 NIV

Whenever I have read this story, I have always focused on the expectation of the master and how well the first two servants had taken care of what had been left to them. Today, I could not help but wonder at the third servant. Why had his response been so different from the other two? And have I ever responded like he did? Was I more like him than I would like to admit?

The third servant had seen the other servants given more talents than he was. He saw the first one given one and the second one given two. He was given one. He was only given one. Have you looked around at the people around you and thought that they are more favoured in some way than you are. For example they are having a simpler time raising kids after all their kids are better behaved, their kids are top in their class, are captains in a school sport, represent their school in regional tournaments or their young adults do not go out to partying on any night? Maybe they are favoured to have well paying jobs, permanent job contracts or thriving businesses? They went to what are considered to be great schools and joined fantastic universities where they were in study groups with people who are now regional managers of this or the other global company?

Have you thought if only you had one of these things that seem to have been given to others? Just one. You are not being greedy or anything. You are only asking for one thing like a little bit more money. Yes, you have a job and are working hard at it but if only it paid you a little bit more then you would be able to do much more with your skills and competencies. You are not asking for a lot just a little bit more money and you would be able to do something more for yourself, your family for others? Or maybe the one thing that you would want is a job. You do not have one right now. Is there anything wrong with wanting to get a job after all you have the skills, when you had a job you worked well, if only you had this one thing. Or maybe the one thing you wish for is kids who listen and are obedient to you. Can you identify just one thing that you often think is the one thing that would help everything else in your life fall into place?

This morning I caught myself thinking about my own one thing. Truth be told I do not have just one thing. I have a couple of “one things” that I keep wishing would align and once they do I think I would be better able to use the skills(talent) that I have better or more fully. What I realized also is that because I have concentrated so much on getting the “one things” to line up, I forgot about the talent that I already have. The more I focused on the “one things”, the less time I spent sharpening and refining my one talent, the more reasons I had not to practice my single talent and the more difficult it became for me to even use the talent. After a while, I gave up on the “one things” and the talent as well. My reason for not using the talent or skill became I did not have the “one things”.

I fail to see the difference now between me and the third servant who when caught out blamed his own master and not himself. Who did not set his single talent to multiply and grow. I wondered if the man’s response would have been different if he had been given five talents instead of the one. Would he have multiplied the five where he had not the one? Would I? Or is the question can I claim to only have one “talent”?

Have a thoughtful day.