14 "It's also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. 15 To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. 16 Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master's investment. 17 The second did the same. 18 But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master's money. 19 "After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. 20 The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. 21 His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.' 22 "The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master's investment. 23 His master commended him: 'Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.' 24 "The servant given one thousand said, 'Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. 25 I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.' 26 "The master was furious. 'That's a terrible way to live! It's criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? 27 The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest. 28 "'Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this "play-it-safe" who won't go out on a limb. 29 30 Throw him out into utter darkness.'
The emphasis of this parable is on the servant who did nothing - who was afraid to fail so he didn’t try. The parable warns us against doing nothing with our talents...our uniqueness...our creativity...our ideas and skills...our unique self.
When we don’t use it we lose it! It is okay to fail; make a mistake, have a flop.
God has a cure for mistakes. It’s called forgiveness. It is not okay to do nothing.
Dare to risk making a mistake and discover what God can do even with the little you might have. It can make a big difference in someone's life. And yours too!
“In this one sense, we human beings
are akin to the battery in a flashlight;
unused, it corrodes.
What we do not use is wasted;
what we do not share
we cannot keep.” Loomis
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