She listened patiently on the other end of the line while I poured out my worries. As our conversation wrapped up, my aunt softly asked, ‘Do you remember the guy with the one talent?’ She gently nudged me toward that scripture in Matthew 25:15. The reminder washed over me like a breeze on a sweltering day, soothing my spirit. I realised I didn’t want to grumble like that man or follow in his footsteps. By the time we hung up, I had gathered a handful of life lessons.
If you have found yourself grumbling or feeling weighed down lately, let this be a cool drink for your heart.
Matthew 25: 14-30 (click to read online)
Familiar chapter, right?
What we often miss is how easily we slip into the shoes of that one-talent servant, rushing through life without noticing.
Let me explain….
So, what is your true ‘gift’? Just as in the parable, God has tucked unique treasures into each of our lives. When we overlook them, we start to complain. Imagine it this way…
Maybe your one gift is a job that feels small or underpaid, and so the complaints bubble up.
Perhaps your one gift is a modest home, and you find yourself wishing for more.
Or maybe your one gift is a car that crawls along, and you can’t help but grumble about it.
.
Your one gift might even be your address in a tough part of town, and you sigh about it.
Criticise it.
Your one gift could be___________
But have you paused to notice what is good about it?
Once more, are you caught up comparing your gifts to everyone else’s, just like the one-talent servant?
Related Articles: Are you busy running life like a competition?
Do you know finishing well is important?
When life doesn’t go your way, it is tempting to believe your gifts are small, unimportant, or pale in comparison to others’. But carrying this mindset makes you just like that servant.
The servant let his dissatisfaction lead him down the wrong path!
1. He was angry: Complaining gets you angry. This servant in the story wanted more clearly because others had received more. Well, as humans…. that is understandable.
Pause and consider this for a moment…
Do you have the capacity to handle more, right now?
Have you gained enough wits and prowess?
God doesn’t bestow on us more than we can handle. He knows our abilities and allows us to grow and get there.
2. He buried his gift: Complaining blinds you to anything but the flaws. All he could see was that he had just one gift. Instead of nurturing it, he hid it away.
Call to Action: Unearth your buried gifts now and put them to good use.
Jealousy and anger are like twin shadows that smother your gifts.
3. He wasted time: One reason I love David is his attitude towards life. Here was a man chased to all corners of the country, yet he didn’t complain. He sought ways to resolve the issue.
As tough as it feels, we cannot afford to lounge in our excuses. Complaining robs you of time and drains the energy you could use to build something better.
When you complain, your own voice drowns out everything else.
Call to action: Quit complaints and comparisons; get productive with your time and energy.
People who accomplish great things rarely complain; their only wish is for more time to make a difference.
4. He was unteachable: I closely read through this scripture again, and I ask myself…
While everyone else was working, what was this guy doing? Yikes!!
Why didn’t he learn how to multiply his one talent?
You won’t have the guy with five talents around and be obstinate enough not to learn how he increased.
Call to Action: Learn from the people who are ahead of you in business, ministry, vocation, etc. You will never regret it!
That was the servant’s blind spot. Use what you have, grow with it, and soon more will follow. It is time to stop complaining and embrace these four new habits.
4 Things to do instead of complaining
1. Learn to Be Grateful: Be thankful for where you are in the sphere of your life. Be thankful for who He has made you to be (2 Corinthians 4:15).
2. Learn to Be Faithful: God is searching for the faithful to commit great things into their hands. Whatever you are doing, do it with all your heart (Ecclesiastes 9:10).
3. Learn to Be Diligent: You will bear rule and increase when you are diligent (Proverbs 12:24).
4. Learn to Learn: The core basics of being on top is humility. It takes humility to admit you don’t know and to learn what you don’t know (1 Thessalonians 4:11). It takes wisdom to admit you don’t know and humility to learn what you don’t know
By His Great Grace,
Ifeoma Samuel
We all need hope in this hopeless, trouble-filled world. Depression, heartaches, suicidal thoughts, hopelessness, breakdowns, meltdowns, etc., are hot topics in mainstream media, communities, families and homes.
Our technological world doesn’t make it easy. We are connected to many virtual friends, but real heart connections are scarce.
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