Hidden Talent
By Grant Gaines
Do you want to know what I find most fascinating about American Idol? I think the singers on the show are incredible and certainly deserving of all the attention and accolades they receive, but I am always left with a sense of wonder and curiosity as the show comes to an end. I can’t help but to think that there has to be so many people across our country who are sitting at home watching American Idol who have better voices than those who are competing to win the prize.
Surely there is someone who would radically transform the music industry with their talent and creativity but they are just too afraid to step in front of a microphone to perform. Isn’t it only logical to believe that in a country like the United States which has a massive population of roughly 315 million people that there has to be a couple of diamonds in the rough out there?
And I wonder what their story is. Maybe they’ve never had anyone encourage them to chase their dream of singing. Maybe they’re simply terrified of singing in front of others. Or maybe they listen to the singers on American Idol and think that because they don’t have as much talent as the competitors, they shouldn’t even sing at all.
If I were a betting man I would wager my money on the last option. I bet that the majority of people who have unused talent—whether that talent be singing, athleticism, or service—will point to the fact that they don’t have as much talent as someone else as the reason why they don’t use their talent at all.
And if I can bring this idea a little closer to home, I bet the reason why you don’t use your talent—whether that talent is singing, teaching, investing, or whatever your spiritual gift may be—is because you don’t believe that you are as good as someone else with that same talent. You have the gift of serving but when you look at Mother Teresa and all that she accomplished, you realize that you’re not nearly generous as she was…so you don’t serve. You have a gift of teaching but when you look at Billy Graham and all he did and is still doing at his age, you realize that you’re not nearly as powerful of a communicator as he is…so you don’t teach. You have the gift of writing but when you look at CS Lewis and all the books he wrote, you realize you’re not nearly as skilled a writer as he was…so you put your pen down.
Do you want to know how Jesus feels about not using the talents we have? Fortunately we don’t have to speculate very long because Jesus spoke directly on this subject in the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25. You remember the story—a rich man heads out on a long journey and entrusts money—or “talents”—to his servants. To one servant he gives five talents, to another he gives two talents, and to the last one he gives one talent (one talent equals $30,000 in today’s economy).
“After a long time their master returned from his trip and called them to give an account of how they had used his money” (Matthew 25:19, NLT). The man who received five talents invested his master’s money wisely and was able to present ten talents to his boss. Then the man who received two talents was called to account and it was revealed that he too invested wisely as he presented his master with four talents.
But then the attitude of the story changes as the man who received one talent stood before his master. Unlike his co-workers, this servant did not invest the money wisely but took a page out of his dog’s playbook and buried his treasure in the ground. He looked around and realized that he had not received as many talents as the other two servants so he decided to do nothing with it.
The master’s response? “…You wicked and lazy servant!…” (Matthew 25:26, NLT).
I don’t know if you caught that or not, but the word choice Jesus used in this story when describing His feelings towards unused talent is “wicked”. The term “wicked” is used an awful lot in the Bible. In fact, it’s used 300 times. The sexual perversion of Sodom and Gomorrah, the murderers who assassinated kings throughout the books of 1 and 2 Chronicles, and the blasphemers of the early church are all described as “wicked”. That seems fitting to me—if you murder someone, the term “wicked” is a good descriptor.
But isn’t it interesting that the same term that describes murderers, perverts, and blasphemers in the Bible is the same term Almighty God uses to describe wasted talent? That’s not just eye opening, that’s downright scary. From God’s perspective, wasting the talent’s He gave us is on the same level as murder—yikes!
Look, you may never have the voice of Whitney Houston, the brains of Albert Einstein, or the influence of Oprah Winfrey, but God has uniquely entrusted you with a set of talents that He expects you to invest wisely. 1 Corinthians 4:2 (NIV) says this very idea—“Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.”
Maybe the entire purpose of your time here on earth is to share God’s love with one single person and point them to Christ. While others are out there changing the economic, social, and political landscapes, maybe God wants you to change just one life with the talent he has entrusted to you. Maybe that person is sitting next to you at work, at home, or at school. And maybe if we truly believed in the words of Christ in Luke 15:10 (NLT), we would start using our talents to change the world, one life at a time—“… there is joy in the presence of God’s angels when even one sinner repents.”
Use your talents, fan your flame (2 Timothy 1:6), change the world, and let today be the day that you create a party amongst God’s angels.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
