"Do you remember the
Parable of the Talents?”
“I think so,”
answered the boy. “Is that the one where the landlord gives each person a
different amount of money and then leaves?”
“That’s it,”
replied Grandpa. “That’s my favorite parable, and something that has been one
of the driving factors in my life. Like anything, you’ll find that there are a
lot of different ‘interpretations’ of the parable but, years ago, when I was
talking to a priest, he told me that he believes that, when we get to heaven,
we’ll be asked two questions: ‘Did you love me with all of your heart, mind,
and soul?’ and ‘What did you do with what I gave you?’
“In the parable,
the landlord gives one person five talents, the next person two, and the other
person just one. The talents referred to in the parable were a lot of money at
the time. The first two went out and used the talents to make even more,
actually doubling their amounts. The third one was so afraid that he would lose
the talent, he buried it. When the landlord returned, he was very pleased with
the first two servants, but he chastised the third one for hiding the talent
and not doing anything to increase it.
“I believe that
this is what God expects from us, during our lives. I believe he has given
every one of us everything we need to fulfill our purpose here on earth, but
the only way you can truly find your purpose is to go out and put your talents
to work, grow and develop them. Nowhere does it say that they just sat and
prayed for the talents to increase. The first two went out and did what the
third one couldn’t fathom; they put their talents at risk. The third one was
paralyzed by fear. What if the risk failed, and they lost what they were given;
what would have happened to them, then? But the first two didn’t let this fear
stop them. They went out and made good decisions and were rewarded for the risk
they took.
“It’s just like the
flat earth we talked about, most people limit themselves to stay put out of
fear. God gave us all free will and, with it, the chance to choose. He also
gave us guidelines for how he wants us to live our lives, but he left it up to
us to choose how we live and what relationship we maintain with him. Most
people pray for things they want, money, fame, or some relationship, and I’ve
always thought God must just shake his head and think, ‘It’s all there for you,
just go make it happen.”
From my first book, "Life Pioneers: The Edge of Possibility!"
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