Whenever I think of stewardship, I think of the parable of the talents. We all know the story—once upon a time the master was going away on an extended vacation, and he gave three of his servants some of his talents to invest until he returned. One guy did really well. He was given five talents, and by the time the master came home, he had ten. Another guy did a pretty good job with the three talents he was given. He had double the amount by the time the master came back. And then there was that last guy. He received only one talent, and he was afraid he would lose it, so he buried it in the ground and did nothing. Boy, was the master mad at him when he came home.
One could argue all day about why the master gave the talents unequally to the various people. Did he know the guy who got one was just going to bury it? Likewise, did he know the person who got five was a hard-charger who was going to make the most of what he received?
Even Spiderman knows that much is expected from someone to whom much is given. Or, to put that into English: Get a lot, do a lot.
But neither of these points is the reason I think of the story of the talents when I think of stewardship. In the Bible, the word “talent” was a specific portion of money. I think, though, that the evolution of the word to mean a skill or an aptitude for something isn’t just a freak of semantics.
We all have been given at least one talent. Even the poorest among us can get our hands on some money now and then. Others of us have been blessed with a lot more than just a little bit of money. Either way, that is one talent.
If we think about it, we probably all have at least one more talent than just that money. Some of these other talents may be more plentiful to you than money is. A number of my talents run in the crafty way. I knit, crochet, sew, and do other forms of needle craft. I have some writing talents, in that I can turn a phrase on a page, I can edit till late in the night, and I can plot stories with the best of the breed. My years in the military have helped me build my talents in leadership, administration, planning, and execution. My years as a wife and mother have developed a number of talents in these areas, as well.
These are all talents God has given me, and the message to me is that God wants me to use these talents wisely and well, to the utmost of my ability, and that I should never forget where they came from. Thus, in addition to using them for my own benefit, I must use them to my Master’s benefit as well. When I do that, my talents multiply. If I don’t practice my talents—say, my singing and playing the piano, just as examples—they become hidden, and are no good to anybody, including God.
What are your talents? Has God given you one, or three, or five? What have you done lately to double your talents? And how many of these talents have you given back to God? I firmly believe God wants us to give of all our talents, to include that monetary talent, because by using the talents freely, they will grow and flourish. I encourage everyone to strive to be the one with ten talents when the master comes back.
Christine Cook
Stewards in the Hands of a Loving God 