This is a bit of an impromptu writing session. I just finished my first post earlier in the day, went to work, came back, relaxed and cleaned up; when I thought I should probably read and pray. To be honest it’s been a few days and I knew I needed to pick up the Bible and get back to it. But as I began to pray I felt I just didn’t know what to say. So, often when that happens I just wait to see what to pray about by sitting in silence. After, a few minutes I told God “you know what’s in my heart before I even say it. I don’t know what it is but I want you to reveal it,” and ho ho did he reveal it.

I was thinking back on these past couple of years and to be honest it feels like I’ve been on autopilot. Like I have been waiting for things to happen. Sitting around as events transpired around me while doing nothing. I mean I did break my foot four months ago and LITERALLY had to sit around and do nothing but that’s beside the point. And I just thought, “ Man God, I’m tired of sitting on the side and going through life, I want to live it.” And it just hit me. I was just writing earlier about being a side character in a movie when really I was acting like an extra!

I don’t want to be a passive observer in God’s story but an active participant! Pfff! There goes my brain.

I have not been an active participant in our story together. I’ve been sitting off screen drinking coffee and reading books. Well then I thought okay well what is it you want me to do? And so I opened up my Bible to what I was going to read in Matthew chapter 25. And what do you know? It’s the parable of the Talents.

If you don’t know that parable or need a refresher; Jesus is teaching in the way he usually does which is by illustrating a story about a concept. In chapter 24-25 the main concept Jesus is illustrating is his second coming. He is describing what it would be like. So in this parable a man is going on a journey and won’t be back for an uncertain amount of time. He gives his servants each a certain amount of Talents, which would be like a hefty sum of money in our time or so it is speculated. No instructions really and just jams. So then after a time, he comes back and goes to the first servant who invested what he was given and came back with double. then he goes to the second and same thing, but then he goes to the last guy and the guy says this “Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭25:24-25‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The guy just buried the Talent basically becoming a passive observer and just waited for his master to come back. The master responds by rejecting his servant and taking away what he was given. The implications are synonymous with those who do not believe. is it possible to squander what we have been given? YES. We do it all the time in life. At least I do, but why? is it because we are afraid of failure? this man was. Do we let fear rule our decisions? Do we compromise because we are afraid of the backlash? if yes, I have one more question. Do you realize how valuable the gift God has given you is? (I’m speaking to the Christian here)

The first and second servant understand what kind of man their master is, and in so knowing, were able to create more value from what they were given. God has given me a renewed life through Jesus Christ and it is up to me to see the value and responsibility and use it to create a greater value by reaching out to others.

The side character only becomes a side character when he is an active participant in the protagonists life not a passive observer. That is one of the hardest things for me. If you read my last post, I said I’m shy and with that i’m also very private. I’m uncomfortable with sharing to my own detriment. But I realize , God gave me a story, a talent, and I should use it for his glory. so my goals now are to step out of my comfort zone.

Anyways, that’s something of an epiphany at 1 am. I pray that this help encourage someone who has been living in a shell to step out of their comfort zone and allow God to use their life in ways they could not have imagined and see where it goes. I was not planning on creating another post for some time just because I didn’t want to be posting every day but this seemed kinda big for me. So I’ll end it here.

God bless!