“His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful over a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Share your master’s joy.’ ” Matthew 25:21
Go with me on a walk along your favorite ocean beach. Where are we? Cape Cod, Ocean City, Hilton Head, Fort Lauderdale, Destin, Corpus Christi, San Diego, Seattle, or maybe someplace exotic like Cancun or Hawaii?
As we stroll down the soft sand, you suggest that we stop. You have something you want to show me. You stoop down and scoop up a huge handful of clean, dry sand. You hold your hand perfectly flat and still. In a few moments, the sand stops running down the sides of your hand. This is as much sand as your hand will hold.
Then I say, “You know, someone could come along the beach and try to take some sand from you. If I were you, I’d do my best to be sure that no one steals any of your sand. This is your sand, and I think you have a right to protect it.”
After a few seconds of contemplation, you silently agree. This sand is mine, you think to yourself, I’m not letting anyone take it. So you slowly close your hand, gripping your sand tightly as you clench your fist.
I have a question: What happened to the sand that had been in your hand? If you said that most of it fell to the beach when you closed your grip, you’d be correct. What had been yours to hold was now out of your grasp. If you had wanted to take perfect care of what was yours, you should have held it with an open hand.
The story of the talents in the hands of the three servants is often confusing. Some have accused Jesus of mocking the poor who have not been given as much as others. “He who has a lot gets more,” they may say. “But he who only has a little has even that taken away from him. This is not fair.”
This analysis of the story would be a serious case of missing the point.
You have been given a measure of God’s goodness—talents from the Master. You and I probably know men who have more talents than we do, and we probably know men who have been given less. That would make us members of the “Two Talent Club.” Now, what are we doing with our talents? Are we holding them with an open hand—using them, investing them, risking them, sharing them? Or are we gripping tightly the talents we have, hoping, for goodness’ sake, that someone doesn’t steal them? Or worse, are we afraid that, in our clumsiness, we might lose them?
The message of the story Jesus told is crystal clear: it’s not how much you have that matters; it’s what you do with what you have for which God holds you accountable. If you try to protect your gifts and possessions or even hide them, the return of the Master will be a mighty embarrassing experience.
What could you be doing—should be doing—for God? What talents do you have in your clenched fist? When someone at church asks for volunteers to deliver meals to shut-ins or to give up a Saturday to build a low-income house, do you stare at the floor? When your child asks you to help chaperone the school’s field trip to the museum, do you quickly find a conflict in your schedule?
Give your talents away. Clenching down on them will only diminish them. Holding onto them will not bring you any pleasure, any joy, whatsoever. Open your hand. Give yourself away. Serve the Master with a grateful and courageous heart.