Good morning! As Minnie Pearl used to say, “I’m so glad to be here!” I’ve missed y’all. But the book is in, and I have a name for it: Justice Delayed, Book 1 in the Memphis Cold Case Series. Now I’m just waiting to see if my editor likes it.
This morning during my quiet time, I was in the different versions of the Parable of the Talents. I’m reading through the New Testament in chronological order, so all three versions were there and they were basically the same. That’s one thing I like about reading the Bible in chronological order–I get triple and sometimes quadrupled versions of the same subject, good for my ADHD mind.
For those not familiar with the parable, the master was going away, and he gave three of his servants talents (one talent was worth more than a thousand dollars). One received ten, one received five and the last received one. When he returned he summoned his servants and demanded an accounting. The first two had doubled their talents, but the last one had dug a hole and hidden his. His excuse was, he was afraid that if he invested and lost the money, the master would put him in prison. Well, it doesn’t exactly say that, but close.
In the end, that servant’s talent was taken from him and he was put out into the darkness. The other two were given more talents. As I thought about the takeaway of this parable, I thought of the talents (or gifts) God has given each of us. If we use them in the way the two servants who doubled their money, God will give increase. But so many of us are like the servant who dug a hole and buried his. We are afraid to put ourselves out there, so in a sense, we’re burying the gift God gave us.
Why? Shyness, maybe, or low self-esteem…or maybe we don’t recognize our talent. I’ve had people tell me they had no talent, but I know better. God gives each of us gifts or talents. One of those who told me they had no talent had overlooked her natural ability for taking a piece of clay and making a vase. But to be really good at it, she needed to practice. And she didn’t, even though she loved working in the clay. For whatever reason, she buried that talent.
I’ve been told I have a talent for writing, and if I do, it’s because God gave me that gift, but it was up to me to sit in front of a computer sometimes eight hours a day to develop it.
I cross stitched a saying once: Success is that place in the road where opportunity and preparation meet, but too few people recognize it because it comes disguised as hard work.
So what do you think? Leave me a comment, and I will enter you into a drawing for my novella The Gingerbread Pony, digital right away and for those living outside the Continental US, print copy as soon as Amazon approves my file. 🙂
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Comments 12
What you wrote about our talents is absolutely a fact which we all need to understand. Furthermore, we need to make sure that we use those talents for the Lord Jesus Christ to glorify Him! You shared a great truth with us. Thank you. I’m happy to hear about your books. They sound mighty interesting to me.
Author
Faith, I’m so glad you received a blessing from my blog post! Thanks for stopping by.
Patricia, congratulations on completing another manuscript. And thank you for an encouraging word for us to keep working away at whatever God has planned for us to do.
Blessings ~ Wendy
Author
Thank you, Wendy! So glad the post blessed you. I love your photos…look for the moonshot soon.
Hi, Pat! Congratulations on turning in a new book. I loved your post!
Author
Thank you, Liz. Thanks for stopping by.
Nuggets of wisdom coming from one who does not quit!! Thanks for your impact on my life.
Author
Thank you, ma’am…and you have made a huge impact on my life!
Nice to have you back, Patricia. And excellent food for thought. I’ve been dogging it for a few days, not wanting to do the hard work. Playing with grandkids is so much more fun. 😉
Author
So with you there, Sandra! Playing with the grandkids is awesome…See you here in two weeks!
I’m glad it wasn’t me and my lack of tech savvy that i hadn’t seen you much online. Knowing that more Patricia Bradley books are coming down the pipeline makes me happy. 🙂
Thank you, Terrill! I’m happy to be back. And I’m doing something different with my author blogs–I’ve set them up like a game show. I’m anxious to see if everyone likes the format. I’ll probably put up one Tuesday on the book I’ve just finished…