What Are You Doing with What You've Been Given?
/I remember learning about this story in grade school. It seemed kind of harsh to me, but my teacher said it was about the gifts God has given us and how we’re called to use them. Don’t hide them under a bushel basket. I kind of saw her point, but I also saw what happened in the story when you didn’t use those gifts successfully. What about the “wailing and grinding of teeth”? And that poor guy who only got one talent. No wonder he exercised such caution – his boss was mean. This is not a warm and fuzzy Jesus story.
When I feel like I don't have enough of whatever – love or money or security – it's hard to take a gamble with what I do have. When I feel insecure, it's hard to take a risk. When I don't have much money, it's hard to give it away. And spiritually speaking, when I'm struggling with faith, it's easier to hunker down in the beliefs I do have rather than test them. In this parable, the guy with only one talent buries it in the ground because, as he says, his boss is “a demanding person, harvesting where [he] did not plant and gathering where [he] did not scatter.” Whether this is true of his boss or just his perception, his instinct is to preserve what he has. He even says very clearly that he does this “out of fear.” I’ve been in situations like that too, ones in which I’m dealing with someone I think is demanding and harsh, and I tend to be as cautious as this one-talent guy.
There are times in life that call for prudence, for safeguarding, for protecting what you have, especially if it’s not much. However, it’s clear from the story that this is not one of those times. The boss clearly values shrewdness and expects his servants to take risks and increase what they've been given. He doesn't reward caution. He rewards those willing to venture something.
So, what in the world does this mean for us? Well, that’s the million-dollar question, and if this poor nun had a million dollars, I wouldn’t be wheeling and dealing with it, so I’m not a great example of financial shrewdness. However, we know this parable isn’t really about money, don’t we? The story comes right after the parable of the ten bridesmaids, and it's followed by Jesus' teaching about the sheep and the goats. All three stories are part of Jesus' teaching about what it means to be ready for the coming of God's kingdom. He's urging his disciples to invest themselves in that kingdom here and now, because how we live in this life matters eternally.
So, knowing that context, I think there are some questions to consider. How are we investing in God's kingdom? What are we doing with our faith, gifts, resources, relationships, opportunities, and capacity to love? Do we sit on our hands and think pious thoughts, the spiritual equivalent of burying our talents in the ground? Or do we put our money where our mouth is and put our faith into action?
From what I’ve seen, God magnifies any efforts I’ve made to bring about God’s kingdom. Most attempts to serve others turn into encounters that are more than I thought they would be. When I step out in faith and love, God usually extends that movement. Because we don’t do this by ourselves, do we?
In trying to see how this shows up in my own life, I thought about a retreat I made a few years ago. I was training to be a spiritual director and needed a particular kind of retreat that wasn't crazy expensive. I found one in Guelph, Canada. What seemed like a decision made for practical purposes turned out to be a great spiritual adventure, but it took me a minute to see it that way. I was also discerning my next steps in ministry at the time, and I told my retreat director, “You know, I’m not a great risk-taker. I tend to play it safe.” And she said, “Really? Because you signed up for a retreat in a place you’ve never been before in a different country and drove all the way here by yourself. And since you got here, you’ve opened yourself up to God and whatever God wants to do on this retreat. You’ve also explored every inch of these woods, taking a different path each day just to see where it will go. I’d say you’re doing pretty well at risk-taking.”
Hm. I didn’t see it that way until she said that. What a helpful revelation. I looked at myself as a one-talent person consistently burying it on the ground, and she showed me that I have it in me to be a five-talent person opening myself to God’s call wherever it takes me. Well, I’ll be dipped.
I suspect we're all one-talent people sometimes and five-talent people at other times. Sometimes we’re called to be prudent and sometimes we’re called to step out in faith and take a risk – but not a random risk. After that retreat, I didn't do anything crazy. I didn't take my nun budget to a casino. But I did discern my way out of a ministry I loved but that had run its course, and into starting God Space. That felt risky. I didn't have a solid plan, and I had to trust God and let it all unfold. I kept waiting for it to go belly up. It never did. It will never have a cast of thousands or great material success, but that's not what it's for anyway. God guides it step by step. I make plenty of missteps, but we go along. And when I start worrying and trying to secure everything into the ground, God pushes me out of fear and insecurity and into deeper trust.
And here's the thing: I don't think God is the mean boss in this story. At least, that's not how I've come to experience God. God isn't testing us to see what we'll do with a little money or waiting to punish us if we don't get it right. For me, when I feel like what I need is scarce, God shows me generosity. When I feel like what I want is lacking, God provides. And when I take a little gamble and step out into God's call, God shows up to create abundance out of whatever I can offer. God makes the increase, not me. God showers us with goodness, lavishes us and the world with God's own self.
Maybe that's what it means to invest what God has given us. Not to be successful, not to produce some impressive return, but to put our faith into action and trust that God will do something with it. We don't have to create the kingdom of God all by ourselves. We just have to be willing to participate in what God is already doing. The kingdom hasn't yet come into its fullness, and there's still plenty of work to do. So, what are we doing with what God has entrusted to us? Where might God be inviting us to loosen our grip, step beyond our comfort zone, and trust a little more? How are you investing what God has given you?
For Reflection:
What resonates with you in all this?
What are you doing with your faith, gifts, resources, relationships, opportunities, and capacity to love?
What’s God’s invitation for you?
By Sister Leslie Keener, CDP
Sister Leslie Keener, CDP is the director of God Space, a vibrant spirituality ministry building community in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. A Sister of Divine Providence, she holds a Master’s in Ministry and a Certificate in Spiritual Direction and Retreats from Creighton University. Sister Leslie guides retreats, offers spiritual direction, and nurtures vocations within her community. Passionate about helping people encounter God in everyday life, she delights in the Virtue of Simplicity, meaningful conversations, dancing, and spicy food along the way.