So How Are You Using Your Talent?

Angelina Grimke

She was raised in southern high society. She was one of 14 children born to John and Mary Grimke. Her father was an a Revolutionary War veteran, Anglican lawyer, planter, politician, judge and distinguished member of Charleston society. She was never allowed to associate with anyone outside their prescribed elite social circles. Her father was a major slave owner. She had all the comforts and luxuries that Charleston, South Carolina could offer.

Her father limited the children’s formal education to the male offspring but the boys shared their lessons with their sisters. Even as a child she was considered the most self-righteous, curious, self-assured of her siblings. It never occured to Angelina that she had to defer her opinions to the judgement of her male relatives. At her confirmation she refused to recite the creed because she did not agree with several statements. At the age of 21 she joined the Presbyterian church.

A great change occured in Angelina while attend church one Sunday. The Gospel lesson that Sunday was the parable of the talents. She went home after church and sat in her chair thinking about the worship service. She reread the Scripture lesson and asked herself, “What have you done with the talents committed to your care?” She reflected on that and decided to devote her life to the abolition of slavery. She used her writing and speaking talents to teach Bible studies, lead women’s groups, and teach slaves to read. She moved to the north and became active in the abolitionist movement. She became the first women to speak to a legislative body. She encouraged MA to abolish slavery and defended women’s right to petition the state legislature on both moral and religious grounds.

Scripture tells us that God’s Word will not return void. It certainly reaped a significant return on investment in the life of Angeline Grimke. I hope that as we consider its lessons God might also speak to you through the story.

The Parable

The story has both an easy for most people to understand and even apply its message. Those who play the stock market know that there is a risk/reward with every investment. The safest and surest investment employs the cautious approach.

But the ending of the story is also confusing at two levels. First the master’s response seems out of place exceedingly harsh. Why did the master get so angry?

I suppose my difficulty with accepting the master’s anger is due to my identification with the one talent servant. I am not a three or even a two talented preacher. I can tinker in several areas but I do not have a rare gift or talent in that area.

I suppose that I am overly cautious. I have tried to wheel and deal in the area of finance and things did not go well. I then took the cautious approach and recouped my loses. However, I was somewhat envious in watching the risk taker reap huge profits.

I also cringe at the end of the story when the master returns and angerly expresses his disgust with the one-talented servant. The man deserves a demotion or even a pink slip. He accomplished nothing. But the master goes way beyond this. He chastises the man’s strategy and then banishes him for eternity. That is a tough performance review.

Where is grace? Where is mercy?

Let us reexamine the story and we will find both. We can easily overlook the beginning of the story. Who initiates this story? The master. That is significant. The servant had nothing to do with the master’s plans. The master calls them and entrusts them with a huge amount of money.

We stubble over the monetary equivalent of a talent. A talent is the highest level of currency. I looked up in a few dictionaries. The first one told me that a talent was the equivalent of 3,000 shekels. Great so how much is a shekel worth in today’s currency. Then another author said that a silver talent was worth 6,000 denarii and a gold 30 times that. If a denarii is the equivalent of a day laborers wages we can approximate the value of the talent. The one-talented man received anywhere from 6,000 to 30,000 worth of days pay. The point is that is, the master was excessively generous with his money. What would you do if someone put over 15 years worth of income in your hands.

Jewish law of the day read, “Whoever buries property entrusted to him is no longer liable because he has taken the safest course conceivable.” (The Good News According to Matthew [Atlanta, John Knox Press, 1975], p. 471.) The one-talented guy followed the law. So why didn’t the master thank him for preserving his investment?

The cause of the master’s anger is revealed in Jesus tradition. When a master assigns a portion of his property to a servant the master retains ownership. If the master is dies on his journey the property goes to his estate. However, if the servant buried the property and the master died on his journey, the servant may claim the property because their is no record of who it belongs to. The master’s anger was over the selfish motives of the servant. He did not use his talent to advance the Kingdom of Heaven but in hopes of enhancing his own wealth. A story is told about a college student

... nearly flunked out. He got back a terrible set of grades one semester. [The telephone conversation between him and his mother] was overheard in the hall of the dormitory. It was obvious his mother was really "giving him some grief." Parents are good at that at those moments.

But then a later conversation with [the student] put his mother's deep disappointment and anger in context...He [said] that he was the first person in his family ever to go to college. His mother not only worked at a very difficult job during the day, but she had taken a cleaning job at night in order to pay for his college expenses. That really puts his goofing off in context, doesn't it? She was working twice as hard to put him through college as he was working in college. She had a right to be angry.

And doesn’t the master? He who gave to even the one-talented guy a very generous amount have a right to be angry? And so the parable that had me asking, how could you do this to a innocent servant, has me asking how could I do this to God?

Lizzie Velásquez

Since birth, Lizzie has suffered from a rare congenital disease that makes her unable to properly gain weight. Even despite being bullied her entire life and being deemed the "Internet’s Ugliest Person" by ruthless cyberbullies, Lizzie Velásquez overcame her tormenters in the best possible way—by inspiring millions through her motivational speaking. She’s won the hearts of people around the world with her strength, positive attitude and faith in God. She’s so successful, that she’s written 3 books and recently premiered a documentary entitled "A Brave Heart: The Lizzie Velásquez Story" at the popular SXSW conference.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/galleries/7-extraordinary-people-who-overcame-rare-disabilties.aspx?p=2#RRbzKz3oI8vGMkxf.99

Claudio Vieira de Oliveira

Right after he was born, Claudio Vieira de Oliveira was left to starve to death by his own mother after being told by doctors that he wouldn’t survive. Born with arthrogryposis, a rare condition that fuses joints together which make them unable to move, Claudio’s head was formed upside-down on his body. Doctor’s feared he would be left totally debilitated, but he has been defying the odds ever since. He has learned to be completely self-sufficient, doing almost everything by himself—from turning on the tv, typing with a pen in his mouth, and using the phone and computer with his lips. He has never let his disability interfere with living a happy and busy life. He’s now a successful accountant and gives motivational talks regularly.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/galleries/7-extraordinary-people-who-overcame-rare-disabilties.aspx?p=5#3OOJUuK0i9xyU8Ex.99

Zara Hartshorn (before)

As a young teenager, Zara Hartshorn suffered from a rare medical condition that made her look decades older than she really is. Despite her best efforts, she was often mistaken for an older woman in her 60’s. Relentless bullying made school a nightmare for her, being called names like "granny" or "monkey." Thanks to a guardian angel, Dr. Robert Ersek a expert surgeon, Zara was given the gift of plastic surgery to help her appear more her age.

Zara Hartshorn (after)

Zara has now rebuilt her confidence, began a relationship, and she’s gone on to lead a normal, happy life.

Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/galleries/7-extraordinary-people-who-overcame-rare-disabilties.aspx?p=4#Xigi4zuvPtQe3uHx.99

Nick Vujicic

Born without any of his limbs, Nick Vujicic struggled emotionally and physically his entire adolescence, feeling depressed and isolated. After believing lies that he was inadequate and incapable of living a good life, Nick tried to commit suicide by drowning himself in a bathtub at the young age of 10. By the age of 15, Nick turned his faith to Jesus Christ, and he gained a new hope for his life and began using his disability to help others. He became a motivational speaker, traveling around the world to touch the lives of millions. He’s had a successful career as a published author and appears on television frequently. And despite believing that he would never be a suitable husband, he found and married the love of his life, Kanae Miyahara and they have two gorgeous children together. Read more at http://www.beliefnet.com/inspiration/galleries/7-extraordinary-people-who-overcame-rare-disabilties.aspx?p=7#2YsCoB1xQZ3rgqo5.99