Get Out of Your Way

I was attempting to feed our dog some leftover scraps of food the other day. The problem I ran into was that once I dropped a few pieces in his bowl, he immediately lunged in there and his head blocked any spot I could plop in the rest of the goodies. He tasted a little of what I had for him but almost missed out on the abundance that was yet to come because I couldn’t get him out of the way. He was content with only hanging on to the small stuff having no clue there was so much more waiting.

Sound familiar? We are far too easily pleased with the safety of the status quo and this is not what God has in mind for our purpose and our future. This life is meant for so much more than shallow self-satisfaction or mediocre attempts at misguided happiness. In the ‘Parable of the Talents’ found in Matthew 25, Jesus tells a story that’s tough for most of us to hear but imperative for our spiritual growth:

For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here, I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant.' You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here, I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scatter no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here, you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.’

- Matthew 25:14-29 -

There is so much packed into this parable, but I want to highlight 3 main points. Everything we have was given to us in the first place, we are not called to a life of fear, and using what we’ve been given to glorify God will produce more joy in our lives and more rewards in eternity by entrusting us with more responsibility. Let me dive a little deeper into each of these.

First, there is no person, thing, or skill that is present in your life right now that was ever a result of your own doing. These are blessings given by God and they serve as tests in this life. We are given all sorts of things from relationships to trials to abilities that promote us to a successful level and then it is up to us as to how we utilize what we’re given. Will we be a mirror image of Christ in our relationships with others or will we promote self-service? Will we waste our trials by becoming bitter toward God and others or will we squeeze every ounce of wisdom out of the situations we are dealt so that we can grow, change and be a hand that can rightfully lift others up as they face similar challenges? Will we use our talents to let our own glory shine and enjoy the ego-boosting accolades or will we thank God for our unique abilities and seek His path for how these talents can best be used to bring Him the most glory? Will we take our money and use it to better our lifestyles or give it away to help someone else in the midst of their struggles?

These are tough questions and none of us will do any of these perfectly. There’s a spiritual maturity that has to be achieved first in order to develop a natural tendency to lean in godly directions. Keep reading your Bible, studying the Word, praying, practicing. Each step toward the things of Christ will produce an inclination toward an all-encompassing state of worship in your heart. That worship will pour out more and more as it grows, what starts as a spark will sizzle and smolder until it bursts into a powerful flame.

While we are to live a life focused on our Savior, we are not to live in constant fear of the world. It is so much easier to stay in the shadows, quietly choosing to camp out in the area marked ‘middle ground’ protected by our walls of ambiguity. Living a loud life is hard. Wearing our hearts on the outside while boldly and openly proclaiming our belief in the love of God can (and probably will) incite a barrage of controversy as it puts us smack dab in the middle of a religious war zone at times. And for those of you reading this here in the states, we forget that our freedoms are a gift all their own. The heaviest burden we are most likely to bear is verbal persecution and a few bruises to our ego. There are brothers and sisters in Christ all over the globe who risk their physical safety on a daily basis as they press forward and continue to convey the redemption of the cross. Yet we who are free to voice our Biblical truths fear the thoughts of others too much to risk feeling rejected or judged.

Please find your fearless edge for the sake of Christ and jump in despite your anxiety over the unknown. Take what you are given, unearth it, and put it toward the cause of Christ. Know that Satan has no power in this space even though he tries to detour us with empty threats. We are surrounded by the strength of Jesus and He will provide the wind that our sails need to move us forward. Let the promises of God roll off your tongue and resonate in your mind, let your actions reflect your joy in your King, and be authentically unstoppable in your evolving faith.

Once you’ve identified that all you are given comes from God alone and that you can use it to live out a courageous existence here on earth, you can take stock in the fact that every genuine action that flows from this fountain of faith will show that we are ready for more. Everything is done in baby steps. We can’t jump into some giant ministry and expect to handle the pressure if we couldn’t muster the courage to say the word ‘Jesus’ in a conversation with our neighbor. We can’t expect to thwart off the temptations of an executive role if we struggle to be honest or responsible with our own personal finances. Just like we protect our children as they grow in maturity, the Lord does the same for us.

And yet, we have a tendency to get in our own way, don’t we? We’re so easily pleased by all the wrong things. We think we know what’s best when God gives us a little and we often don’t look to Him for wisdom in where to go with it. He has so much more waiting in the wings but we’ve got to prove ourselves first. It’s up to us to sharpen our skills and demonstrate that we can manage it well. It’s not God’s intention to set us up for major failure, but sometimes we push through His barriers and set ourselves up for it anyway.

Trust Him, lean on Him, learn from Him. Life will make so much more sense from this perspective and you will move in a direction that brings a sense of reason and purpose to every circumstance. Our Father knows our abilities and our limitations, let Him lead. He loves us, let Him guide our paths according to His will. It probably won’t be easy. In fact, in most cases, it will stretch you so far that you will swear you will break - but you won’t. Instead, that stretch will make you stronger, more nimble, and afford you the capability to take on something bigger. Have you ever had a really great workout, felt like you were going to die for the next few days, and then found yourself pleasantly surprised at how things were slightly easier when you did those exercises again? You can’t build muscle if you don’t put yourself through the necessary pain. So move out of the way and let your personal strength be found in the perfect strength of the Lord. He knows you better than you know yourself. He knows how much you can handle and how to mold you in ways to be able to give you more. Not only will your eyes be opened to the pure joy of true blessings in this life, but you’ll be storing up treasures in the next as well. It’s not an easy road, but the destination is worth the ride. You just need to get in the car instead of standing in front of it.