What would you do with $624,900?

It’s a strange question, I know, but stick with me.  What would you do with $624,900?  Maybe you’d pay off some loans, buy a new car, help someone in need, or invest the money (I do not understand investing, but I hear that it’s important).

Though we might all do different things with $624,900, I think we can all agree on this: not a single one of us would grab a shovel, dig a little hole in our backyard, and bury all the money with no intention of ever digging it up.

Here, in this hole, the money would rot, return to dust, and miss all of its potential to bless the world.

By now, you may have picked up that I’m pulling imagery from Matthew 25:14-30, which you might know as, “The Parable of the Talents.”  If you don’t know what a talent is, it is said to be the modern equivalent of 20 years of wages.  So, I did a little Bible math - the average person makes $31,245/year in the US.  If you multiply that by 20 years, you get $624,900.  In the Parable of the Talents, a master leaves his 3 servants with the following:

^“To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away.” (Matthew 25:15)

Using my Bible math, one servant got like 3 mil, one got a little over 1 mil, and the servant who received the least still got the equivalent of 20 years wages - $624,900.  The servants whose checks had six zeros invested their money and earned back double what they were given (verses 16-17).  But what did the other choose to do with his share?

Driven by fear (verse 25) and laziness (verse 26), the third servant did the unthinkable - he buried it.  Biblical scholar, David Guzik, states:

“In the larger context of Matthew 25, the main point of this parable is clear: our readiness for Jesus’ return is determined by our stewardship of the resources that He has given us.”

Our readiness for Jesus’ return is determined by how we steward the resources He gives us.  In other words, our faith, without works, is dead.  And while this parable is directly talking about money, it’s pretty obvious to biblical scholars that this can also be applied to how we use our time, abilities, gifts, and authority.

Now, you might be thinking, “Lauren is wild.  She really did this blog just for the Stewardship series.”  But really, I want you to know that it has nothing to do with that.  Firstly, I needed to do a series where I wrote some blogs, because the staff is getting tired of me asking them to write one every week (cough, sorry Nick, cough).

Secondly, I was talking with my roommate the other day about life and work, and she asked me this: “Lauren, what gifts are you burying right now?”

OOF.  Get you a roommate like mine, guys.

This is the question I have been joyfully convicted by and pondering for months now - what gifts, big or small, am I choosing to bury down deep inside of me due to fear or laziness?  The goal of the next few blogs will be to awaken you to unexpected or untapped gifts and talents you might not realize you have or could be using, but for now, I’ll leave you with this question to chew on for the week:

As we enter this season of stewardship, what gifts, time, authority, talents, and money have you slothfully, anxiously buried in your backyard?

The Good Master has given you good gifts based on your abilities.  He knows you better than anyone. He’s not asking you to invest what you don’t have.  And though you may have fewer resources than those around you, what will you do with the $624,900 that you do have?

Grab your shovel.  It’s time to dig up our gifts and talents - for the glory of God and the sake of the world.