Wasted Talents…..

We all know the story in the Bible about the talents right?
Matthew 25 talks about the 3 servants who were left talents by their Master. 

Most sermons I have heard focus on the one servant who did not use his talent but buried it. When the Master returned, he rebuked the servant for being lazy and not using what was given to him.
But as I was reading the story again this week, what struck me, is what the other two servants did with their talents…..

Both servants were left talents according to their abilities, and each servant doubled what they had. The Master was well pleased with them.
What really stood out to me was what they didn’t do! They didn’t triple their talents or even quadruple them! They didn’t work and toil to the point of burnout to try and strive for something that was not required of them. They didn’t work for the approval of someone who wasn’t their Master. They doubled their talents and that was enough!

How many times in my life have I been given talents, and instead of doubling them, I have worked my butt off to produce more! These guys knew enough was enough, if only I could learn the same lesson.

I’m not sure why we never realize we are enough. What we have and what we offer God is enough (as long as we are not burying our talents!) We don’t need to work till we are frazzled and burnt out to try and please God.
This year I have been learning to sit at His feet. To stop doing. To stop trying to work so hard to quadruple my talents, thinking the harder I work, the more God would be pleased with me! I had this idea in my head that the harder I worked, the more God would love me, knowing all the time that is not how He works, but still trying my darndest!

I think I got to the point in all honesty that I was trying to please man, more than I was trying to please God. It’s people’s expectations I can never live up to, not Gods!

I am definitely not burying my talents, but I have slowed down enough to listen to His voice and know that doubling what He has given me is enough. No more striving and working hard to please man, who will never be totally pleased anyway!

So as we head into this beautiful festive season, I am sitting, listening, doubling what I have and resting in the truth that its enough. That I am enough!