A new "ah-hah" on a beloved parable

I love the parable of the talents. I do not pretend to understand it completely, but I always thought I had a pretty good grasp on the basic concept. But today I got a blessed insight into this parable that gave me peace and hope and a soft heart and I am so grateful. So...I had to get it down before I forgot or the impact lessened. Keep reading if you want, but this one is really for me, something that I must not forget.


I had always seen the talents or money in this story to represent...well...talents or spiritual gifts. And I still believe this to be true. But there can always be additional meanings to scripture, especially to a parable, which can have so many levels. As I have been carrying on a few conversations over the past few days and even weeks, it has struck me repeatedly that we need to really work on having an open and (at least) relatively vulnerable heart if we are to truly be ambassadors of Christ. This is difficult and downright scary because vulnerability so often means pain. People will hurt you if you are vulnerable. I cannot promise otherwise, this will happen. But I do believe that if we are soft and vulnerable and open to being led by the spirit of God then the joy we receive will more than compensate for any pain that we suffer.


As I was petitioning (well begging) the Lord for a soft heart this morning, the parable of the talents popped into my head only I felt the spirit whisper that I should substitute the idea of "heart" for the word talents in the story. WHOA! Think about it. God gives us the opportunity to have a good heart, a heart that has even been called to be a servant of Him. But we must choose how we use that heart. Do we take it out and invest it in a number of relationships and discover that there are a number of ups and downs in the relationship market but in the end we get back at least double for what we put in? Or do we think that we must take care of this heart and protect it and return it to God completely unscathed so we bury our heart and we put up walls and defenses and in the end, we have only our own rather shriveled heart to present to God. It has not grown and God is disappointed both in us and for us because of the richness and opportunity lost.


In the version of this parable found in Matthew chapter 25, the Lord follows up the parable of the talents with those beautiful verses that say, in part, "For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me..." This speaks even more strongly to me that the parable of the talents might be more about the charitable heart than we realize.


We are in a time in the world when we truly cannot afford to shut away our hearts. We have to put ourselves out there and find those in need of our special offerings and we have to do God's work here on earth as his instruments. I can testify that when I am operating with this kind of attitude, I am seriously the richest woman on the earth. I find myself surrounded by people that I love and by increased opportunity to offer and to feel love.


As Pastor Ed said in cowboy church a couple of weeks back, we must stop arguing doctrine and spending our energy on trying to be right and find the common ground we have in Christ and be the body of Christ within that common ground, no matter what our doctrinal differences. I am working to continue to have the faith to open my heart and to love and to serve every chance I get. I do not say this flippantly. It will not be easy, but I do believe that my investment will pay off in a big way and I do believe that it will be worth it.