I read a book this past month that really made an impression on me. Maybe not the book in its entirety, but there was a certain section that really tugged on my heart.

In this particular section of the book the author speaks about how much imagination we can lack in our lives. The author is a Christian author and is speaking about women’s roles and the disaster that is now feminism. She explains that Christian women had the opportunity to make the feminist movement something Biblical and way better than what it is today, but we have missed the mark. Failed. Not every woman, but I am definitely one of the ones that has missed the mark. This idea of our lack of imagination really made me question the ways in which I’m serving God.

It has made me think back to the parable of the three servants. I’ve had the opportunity to study it at length with a great teacher, but it’s only been now that I’m coming to see the great weight it is having on me currently. For those that don’t know the parable of the three servants, let’s read it together:

Parable of the Three Servants

“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven can be illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. He called together his servants and entrusted his money to them while he was gone. He gave five bags of silver to one, two bags of silver to another, and one bag of silver to the last—dividing it in proportion to their abilities. He then left on his trip.  The servant who received the five bags of silver began to invest the money and earned five more. The servant with two bags of silver also went to work and earned two more. But the servant who received the one bag of silver dug a hole in the ground and hid the master’s money.  After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money. The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, ‘Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more.’  The master was full of praise. ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’  The servant who had received the two bags of silver came forward and said, ‘Master, you gave me two bags of silver to invest, and I have earned two more.’  The master said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let’s celebrate together!’  Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’  But the master replied, ‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’ Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’” Matthew 25:14-30

The way in which I learned this parable was that the master represents God. The three servants are different perspectives of those who God has entrusted with something of value or talents. In the parable two of the servants use their talents to increase what the Master has given them, the third servant does nothing. He doesn’t lose it, but he also doesn’t increase the value. In other words there is no change whatsoever. 

The first two servants receive praise from the Master for increasing what he has given them, and he rewards them with more, but to the third servant he chastises and takes away what he had given him and cast him out into the darkness.

I’ve been the third servant for so long.

It’s hard to admit that out loud, but it’s true. 

For so long I knew all about God’s Kingdom and heaven, I accepted it and then did nothing with it. I didn’t share it with anyone. I didn’t use my talents to serve others. There was no change. I didn’t invest in myself to further God’s Kingdom. I was lazy. I buried my talents in excuses. I have no time, I don’t have enough knowledge, I don’t know where to start. It’s too hard to try. 

But God has so much grace, it’s unimaginable. And He’s so full of love. 

Only through God’s grace and love have I been able to slowly change from the ways of the world. It’s been a tough road, humiliating at times, but I find now that all I want to do is please God and invest my talents for him.

And so, this past week leading up to Easter, I’ve been feeling the heaviness of it all. 

In my Bible reading I’m in the book of Nehemiah and I’m at the part where they are rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem. In this part of the passage, they are rebuilding the wall while holding weapons to fend off their enemies. It spoke volumes to me about this theme of burying my talents.

It reads, “…Those who carried materials did their work with one hand and held a weapon in the other, and each of the builders wore his sword at his side as he worked…” Nehemiah 4:17-18

This passage had such a huge impact on me. We can clearly tell that these people loved the Lord. They wanted to please him by rebuilding God’s city, and nothing was going to stop them. They worked this hard labor while also being prepared at any moment to go into battle to defend what they were building. They were not burying their talents at all. They were using talents they probably didn’t even know they had until they tried this, and it was all to further God’s Kingdom. What a picture of true devotion and love. Were they sacred? I would be. I don’t think most of those citizens even knew how to fight in a battle, but they did not want to waste an ounce of themselves that they could give to their God. 

Wow. And what am I doing with my life? Certainly not wielding a sword and a hammer at once in devotion to my Kingdom journey.

In fact, most of the time I think about all the possible ways I might burn myself out doing just the minimum. How selfish, how disgusted I am with myself.

And this way of thinking has spread in every aspect of my life. How I live day-to-day, how I treat my family, how I serve in my job, how I complete my daily chores. I’ve found that most of the time I approach these with mediocrity. I am living in this pool of un-remarkableness. All I do is the minimum and think that’s good enough. I bury my talents because it’s too much of a hassle to really give it my all. I’m too comfortable in this life that I’m missing vast opportunities to further God’s Kingdom and invest in the talents he has given me.

What a disrespectful way to live. 

God has given me so much and I’m squandering it away. I lack imagination. Oh, what I could do if I approach everything in my life as an opportunity to give God my absolute best and bring him glory. I would please my master and grow the investment he has given me. 

How much more could I serve God by serving my family? We used to have family dinners every Sunday when I was growing up. We don’t really do that anymore. Why am I not stepping up to serve them, my imagination can go wild with all the ways to show my family love.

How much more could I serve God by serving in my church? Instead of feeling like it’s a menial task, I could treat it like the most important job I have and bring my imagination into making whatever I’m doing that much better.

How much more could I serve God by being the best employee I can be and showing love and kindness to my co-workers so that they can see God’s goodness? Again, my imagination is limitless. I could do so much more.

Colossians 3:23-24 NIV tells us, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.”

I want to invest my whole self into glorifying God. I don’t want to leave this world with having only done the bare minimum. I want my imagination to explode. I want my passion to serve God to be glaringly evident in everything I do and in every way I serve. I want to do this because I love God. He is everything to me. I want my master to tell me, “Well done my good and faithful servant.”

Don’t bury your talents. With your whole heart and imagination, live your life for the Lord.

Can I get an Amen? 🙂

“So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:16 ESV