Quite frankly I’ve read the parable of the 10 talents in Matthew 25 and heard it preached more times than I can remember. I always respond to the reading or message with the desire or intent to strive to do great things. Striving never produces spiritual fruit in my life but human frustration. The more I strive, the more I realize my limitations in my own abilities. I don’t know about you, but that becomes a teeth grinder, which makes me want to avoid those verses. It produces a sense of helplessness in me. That changed today.

I have been aware, for sometime now, that my students, my friends, and some others have thought better of me than I felt I deserved. I’m sure that part of that is because they don’t see my insides as clearly or as emotionally as I do. I also realize that love covers a multitude of sins, and those who chose to love me overlook the shortcomings that I think are so obvious, while those who find me obnoxious or irritating may well see all my failings and add to the list according to their preference. 

Even so, loved or not loved, I am able to do more and have more to offer because of the Holy Spirit within me. Sharing in church, at men’s group, and having things suddenly to share when someone provides me with a need are all verifications of me having more than the talents I started with. Jesus has added to my natural ability with His supernatural ability and love for others, allowing me to join Him in His ministry. He strengthens me to love those I would naturally reject.

I am not trying to say I am not troubled or that I don’t come up short on the scale of good, better, best. I am saying that I often enter into a conversation with someone who is struggling and find words of encouragement flowing out of my mouth in such a way that I am encouraged as well. I find myself showing up at a time to help when someone needed it with both of us surprised by the timing. I find an understanding to scripture I haven’t had before just days before someone asks a question about that very thing. I have prayed for people and seen God do things I could only wish for.

I see this as my two talents being multiplied to four by the time Jesus calls on me for an accounting. My natural talents, whatever they are, to whatever strength they are, are multiplied and added to by all the ways Jesus adds to my life, changes my attitudes, improves caring nature in me, or helps me help others. Because He is with me, I am more than I am and able to do more than I can do without Him. He has added to  my talents the fruits of His Spirit. I see the fruits of His Spirit, His work in and through my life, as the added talents in this story. Because of Him, I am more than I am and do more than I can do, not my talents, but His added to mine through salvation and the work of His Holy Spirit.

That makes it all the more sad for the one talent person. All they have is their humanity and whatever they have done with it. They have relied only on themselves and do not have the fruits of the Spirit to bring to Jesus at the time of accounting. His testimony is only who he/she is, and not what God has done in and through them. This is an extremely sad life and an even sadder end. 

As Jesus and the kingdom of heaven are all that is good and truly desirable for life, health, and well-being of any sort, it is extremely sad to live without it and live without it increasing and producing fruit in our lives. 

I pray that all you who read this and all those whose lives you touch will find the joy of Jesus and the increase of the fruits of His Spirit in your lives.