Have you ever had one of those moments where you are having a conversation with one of your kids and out of their mouths comes something you really needed to hear? Well I had one of those moments this morning with my 22 year old son. I was sharing some concerns that I was experiencing in this season of change. It’s hard to be excited about something new that’s taking place in your life and not want everyone to be, not only as excited as you are, but also jump on board! It’s like when you try a new flavor of ice cream that knocks your socks off, and you think, “ Why would you be content to stick with vanilla?” This is where I have found myself in my own spiritual journey. God has been delighting my tastebuds with some different experiences in my walk with Him, and I’m ready to share a scoop with everyone I care about. It took the conversation with my son to remind me that God made vanilla too. It’s not that vanilla is not as good as the other flavors. How often do we begin comparing and judging other people’s walk with where God has us?
The ”Parable of the Talents”, in Matthew 25:14-30 tells of a master who called his servants together and entrusted them to grow his property. According to the abilities of each one, he gave them an amount to use. Two of the servants took what he had to work with and made it productive. The master’s response in verse 21:
“Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”
Unfortunately, one servant didn’t do anything with what had been given to him. He said that because of fear of disappointing the master, he hid the talent in the ground. How often do we allow fear to shut us down from using what we have been given? We all have a different flavor by God’s design. Just because we feel like we don’t measure up to someone else’s abilities or giftings, doesn’t mean we haven’t been given something valuable. Let’s honor and celebrate the wisdom of our Creator who intentionally designed us to release into the world around us the goodness of God in our own unique way and flavor.
“Taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him”, (Psalm 34:8, NIV).
Steps in Pursuit:
- What talents do you have in your life that you have been afraid of using because they don’t look like someone else’s?
- Take a step this week to share some of your gifting/“flavor” with others.
- Encourage someone else by acknowledging and honoring their “flavor”.
So I don’t know about you but all this talk about ice cream makes me want to grab my son and head out for a scoop! Until next time…
Continue the pursuit,
Denise
