If You Don't Use It, You May Just Lose It!

     In the parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) a businessman brings three of his servants in before he goes on a long journey, and gives each of the three a quantity of talents or gold equal to their skill level. I guess his goal was to allow the servants to see what they could do with their master's gold to turn a profit while he was away. As the story goes the one that was given five talents doubled his master's investment, and the servant which was given two talents did the same creating an 100% return on what he had been entrusted. Alas, the servant who was given only one talent took the talent and buried it so that he wouldn't lose what he had been given by his master. Upon return from his journey the master gathered the three servants to see how well his investment had played out. To the servants that doubled their master's investment he rewarded them by promoting them within his business and giving them more authority. To the servant that thought he was doing the master a favor by not taking a chance on losing what he had been given watch over, the master scolded him and told him how he had not taken advantage of what had been given to him, so even what he had was to be taken away from him and he was cast out of the master's business. What a lesson for us to apply to our lives each day. In our Flat Tire Ministry Thought for the Week, we'll be exploring the moral of this parable which I have titled, "If you don't use it, you may just lose it!"
     In the parable talents represented a form of monetary value, but every time I read this story I can't help but think about human talents. Athletic prowess, public speaking, mechanical or electrical expertise, encouraging others, coaching, and leadership are just a few that come to mind when I think of talents. Some of us have been gifted with multiple talents just as the servants in the story, while others may feel like they are limited in the "talent" pool or that they have no real talents at all. First let me tell you, everyone has a talent, you may have never tapped into it or you may not have realized that it is a talent, but let me assure you, you have a talent. The problem is many of us are reluctant to use what we have been given. Why?
     Two or three reasons come to mind. First, we don't want to take a chance on getting embarrassed or looking bad in front of others if we aren't successful in our endeavors. Fear of failure cripples our efforts to use the talents we have been entrusted to use. A second reason deals with lack of motivation. Any athlete that has excelled at their sport has had to work at it way beyond what is expected of them by a coach or team. The athlete that excels at her sport has invested an extensive amount of time practicing and studying their craft to get to where she is. Men and women athletes that reach the "gold" level of competition understand that just because they have been given a talent doesn't mean they will rise to the top level of their sport. They, just like the servants in the parable, have taken what they have been given and invested time and effort to make it the best it can possibly be. The third and last reason we don't utilize our talents has to do with apathy. I'm tired, let someone else do it, or I just don't have time in my schedule are all excuses that handicap our drive to use the talents we have been given. I am a coach, I have coached organized wrestling or volleyball for over thirty years. I am not going to say I am a great coach, but I do believe God gave me the talents necessary to be a good coach. But coaching takes a great deal of time and commitment. It means you put others in front of your wants in most situations. You have to prepare way beyond the time on the practice field and when game time comes you have to be willing to accept the outcome win or lose as ultimately yours to own. I firmly believe that each of us are coaches in our own walk of life. At work, at school, in your home, or on the team you coach, you have talents to share with others it's your responsibility to do just that.
     Whatever the reason is that you are holding back on squeezing the most out of the talents you have been blessed with, I want to encourage you today to re-position yourself in terms of your talents. You may be multi-talented or you may just have one talent that you haven't even chinked off the tip of the iceberg on, but the key is that you go out and use what God has given you to benefit others today! Your life isn't about you, if you are holding back because of fear or failure, or maybe you lack the  motivation to get busy, or just because you don't think it will really matter if you do or don't get involved, you can start making a difference today. You have been given the talents that you have so that you can make a difference so why would you sit around and bury that talent? It's sad, but it is so true, "if you don't use it, you may just lose it".
     Let me encourage you to reflect today on the talents that you have. Don't sit there and say I don't have any talents, that isn't realistic and it isn't true. Anything you do well is a talent. Cooking, arts, speaking, coaching, running, helping, sharing, teaching, caring, or leading you have a talent. Find ways to use that talent to help others. If you cook amazing chili share it with someone less fortunate than yourself. If you are an above average learner, take your knowledge and spread it to others. If you can lead, lead by example, lead with integrity, and make a difference in the world you live. Whatever you can do, do it with everything you've got, take full advantage of your talent and watch it flourish in the lives of those you come in contact each day! Go for it and have an amazing week!
Coach Carter