The Talent (Part I) | Are You Protecting It—or Burying It?

What if the thing you're waiting for isn't actually the next thing you need?

In St. Matthew 25, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. And despite how we often use the word talent today, the original story wasn't about someone's ability to sing, write, teach, paint, or play the piano.

A talent was a measure of wealth.

But beneath the financial story is a much larger question:

What do you do with what has been entrusted to you?

Your money.

Your ideas.

Your knowledge.

Your opportunities.

Your relationships.

Your experiences.

We can spend a lot of time asking God for more. More clarity. More resources. Another opportunity. A better connection.

An open door.

But perhaps there are moments when the question isn't what we're waiting to receive. It's what we're doing with what we already have.

In Part I, we look closely at the three servants—and especially the one who received a single talent. Guess what, he didn't lose it. He didn't squander it. He protected it and returned exactly what he had received.

But he never put it to work. And that leaves us with an uncomfortable question:

Is protecting something always the same as stewarding it?

Maybe not.