It’s been playing a bit on repeat in my heart of late… this idea about using what you have well. It’s that parable of the talents, the one who uses finds increase – the one who hides in fear loses them altogether.
Haven’t we all at some time sat and lived someone else’s life for them. If I had that wealth imagine what I could do with it, if I could speak, look, achieve, write, influence…. whatever… like so-and-so, what I would do with all that talent.
Maybe we need to stand back a little and view ourselves through such critical eyes. In your bag of tricks there are so many things –
capacity
tenacity
creativity
skills
education
geography
finances
opportunity
relational support
passion
ability
attitude
….
some of those might be larger or smaller than others but essentially you have, I have, we all have, an incredible collection of these things, and others, – and we are generously given those things through Grace and not because we ‘deserve’ them more than others.
However, when a naturally agile person lives their life without moving, stretching, pushing that ability they may find that in time they are no longer agile. They have neglected something for long enough and now, if it even exists, it is only a shadow of what it could have been.
I wonder if I spent less time wishing about the gifts I wanted, less time agonising over which thing I should do and I actually just looked at what brought me life, what fitted my bag of tricks well and got out there and did some of it – not for money, or recognition but just because it brings me life. In turn, maybe my capacity and skills would actually grow and maybe my influence in the world would ring louder, travel further and be sweeter.
If you are stuck on repeat when it comes to seeing what other people do have and you don’t have – ask someone you love, someone who knows you well what talents they see in you….. and if you are really brave and you trust them, ask them what talents you are wasting and how they’d like to see you develop them, spend them, invest them, share them.
In all the world you are the only you – don’t waste that you, it’s a good one.
Miriam Jessie 