Talented? Yes, you are!

Reprinted from The Christian Science Monitor

Chas was having a rotten day. And it should have been a great one. He was at Scout camp. He was on the lake in a canoe, all by himself. While that should have been the good part, actually it was the bad part. He was supposed to be paddling straight across the lake by himself. But all he could make the canoe do was go around in circles. What's worse, some of the other Scouts could see him—even some Girl Scouts! But then Chas remembered that he could pray.

There's a talent story in the Bible that Christ Jesus once told. It's in Matthew's Gospel (25:14–30). Maybe you know it. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven was like a man who was taking a long journey and gave his servants his belongings to take care of while he was gone. Now, the talent the Bible is referring to is an amount of money. But the story makes clear that the differences between the servants weren't just in the amount of money they were supposed to look after, but were in their ability to do a good job with what they had. Two of the servants used the talents well, and when the lord returned he gave them more. One got scared and didn't use what he'd been given. That servant had his talent taken away. The message is plain: When you use your talents and abilities rightly, don't be surprised to see them increase.

Talent the way we're used to thinking of it today as a skill or ability really isn't something we're just born with. Or without. Seen spiritually, it's something God, the source of all good, gives us. And no one gets left out. Everyone has God-given talent. Soul is the name for God that relates to ability and artistry. The more we see Soul, God, as the source of all talent and ability, the more confident we'll be in using that talent—and seeing it grow.

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