Photo by tpsdave @ Pixabay.com

All my life I have struggled with sharing my work, whether it be lettering, writing, art, you name it. I would worry that it might be considered prideful or that I was vain for putting myself out there. But the parable of the talents keeps coming to mind and I’ve been pondering it in relation to the gifts God has given me and how I am to use them.

In Matthew 25:14-30, a landowner entrusts his property to 3 caretakers while he takes a trip. To one he gave 5 talents (a measure of money, and quite large), to one he gave 2 talents, and to the last, he gave 1 talent….each according to their ability. When the owner comes back, he questions the caretakers about how they tended to the property with his money. The one with 5 talents bartered and sold, turning the 5 talents into 10. The one with the 2 talents went to the market and turned his 2 talents into 4. The one with 1 talent was afraid and buried his talent so that he could give the landowner the money intact.

The landowner was pleased with the first 2 caretakers and gave them more responsibility. The owner was not pleased with the last caretaker who was afraid. He should have at least put it in the bank to earn interest. The caretaker was thrown out and left to fend for himself.

It sounds rather harsh, doesn’t it? Some parables are rather difficult to understand, but really, this parable is about using the gifts that the Lord gives His people to serve Him.

I am not an extrovert and so evangelism is not my strong suit. But I can share God’s word through my art (Bible journaling) and through my writing.

I don’t like to lead, but I am a good worker and love to help behind the scenes. I’m not a great solo singer, but I can harmonize and use my voice on the praise team. I don’t have a big fancy house, but I can open up my living room for Bible studies.

Here’s the thing…we all have something we can do for the Lord. It could be the Lord gives you a gift later in life. What if He nudged you to step out and do something you are not comfortable doing? What if He is pushing you to learn something that will enable you to touch others with His love?

Try something new. You never know…you may be good at it! It may be something new for you to bless others. Be brave. Step out of the boat. If it’s not your thing, that is just fine. But who knows, it may be the thing that will reach a lost soul for the Kingdom of God.

So whatever you do, whether in word or in action, do it as if you were doing it for the Lord. You plant the seed and He will make it grow.

Are you using your gifts for the Lord? Or have you developed a gift later in life? I would love to hear!