A Mother’s dream

“Then the man who had received the one talent came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

“Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.  Matthew 25:25-29

Whenever a child is born, not only is the child born-  that is one part of it – a mother is also born. Before that she was an ordinary woman; through the birth she becomes a mother. On one side the child is born, on another side the mother is born. And a mother is totally different from a woman. Her whole existence becomes qualitatively different. Before that she may have been a wife or a beloved, but suddenly to the world that is no longer so important. A child is born; a new life has entered. She is a mother. And look at her dreams. No mother, or woman who is about to be a mother, can think that an ordinary boy or girl is going to be born- the unique child is always in her dreams. Every mother dreams she is going to give birth to an extraordinary child (who will change the world). And this too is the dream of God for every child. When God dreamt of you (before you were in your mothers womb) He dreamt of a soul He would send to the earth realm through a particular mother for the extraordinary assignment of  blessing the human condition.  Like the mother, God dreams of a child who through the perfecting (investing) of  their talents and through the strengthing of their abilities will bless the world. This is why it is so important that you understand what your real talents are. The world needs from you what God has placed within you.

Whenever you are doing what you were born to do… whenever you are walking on the path of your destiny… You always make a difference!

Mariah Carey isn’t a great singer just because she can hold a tune. She has talents which have shaped her sound. She has developed abilities which have made her a “unique talent”. Her talent isn’t simply singing; for if it were, she would have likely been a one-hit wonder. If Michael Jordan’s single talent was basketball, he certainly would not have been cut from his high school basketball team. He was cut because he had to discover and pefect one of his more unheralded talents which was discipline; a talent he shares with other greats. So what talents has God given you? What were you born to do? What path are you presently on? Were you born to sing? Were you born to act? Were you born to teach? What are your talents? Has God given you one talent, two talents, five talents, or ten? And if one, what are you doing with the one talent? Are you investing it in your life? Are you giving it back to God with interest? If you are sitting on God’s dream for your life, the little you have will be taken away.  

God’s desire for your life is that you invest your mother’s dream, which is His dream. If you are tired of sitting in the audience, or standing on the sidelines applauding someone else’s talents, then ask God to reveal to you your real talent (s). Then become like the mother and give birth to a new world, give birth to His talents, give birth to a new life… and become a Mother’s dream, a God Living Force.

Be Whole!

…And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, into each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Matt 25:14-15

There are things which are known only in their wholeness. This is the basic problem.  If you dissect a flower you will find petals, leaves, pollen and perhaps the chemical origin of its fragrance, but you will not find its beauty. Truth is like the flower. You can dissect it, but you will miss its simplistic beauty.  And this is what you have been doing with the things of God. You keep looking for God to show up in one area of your life when He is trying to bless your whole life. God desires you to use your talents to bless your whole life not just for financial gain. Hence, you must not kill the poetry of your purpose.  For God is calling you to develop your abilities so that you can begin to realize the fullness of the talents He has given you.  God desires you to live a victorious life, but to live triumphantly requires deeper unity. Like the flower, its beauty is found only in its wholeness.

So… be Whole! When was the last time you worked on your mental focus or physical stamina?

Be Whole! When was the last time you trained your body for greater strength, balance and reflex?

Be whole! When was the last time you read your biological constitution so you could co-create greater health?

Be whole! When was the last time you studied to increase your understanding or sowed  the seeds of wisdom in your life?

Be whole! When was the last time you worked on developing your personality so you could attract more souls to Gods fragrance? And to those of you who were given the greater responsibility of physical attractiveness or comeliness, God did not intend you to use your attractiveness to arrest the hearts of men and women for your pleasure. Can God trust you to become whole?

…. And to some He gave five talents, another two, and to another one. 

What are you doing with your talents and abilities? Why are you trying to dissect them? Drop all the fictions you have created for your Life and be made whole.   To be continued…

Are you Talented?

Photo of Micheal Jordan of the Chicago Bulls.

 

Have you ever studied the sheer competitive purpose in a Micheal Jordan? How about the sense of significance of Mariah Carey? The discipline of Anthony Hopkins? The childlike quality of a Oprah Winfrey to recognize the uniqueness of others?  The connectedness of Michael Jackson’s music? But wait a minute. Michael Jordan is known for his basketball skills, Mariah for her singing, Oprah for her influence, Anthony Hopkins for his acting, Michael Jackson for his dancing. This is what the world sees (the end result), but God sees His talents at work.

No one would argue the unmatched genius of these Giants who have dominated (and in most cases, who continue to dominate) their respective industries. But what if I were to tell you that you are as talented as Michael Jordan? Would you believe me? Probably not. Would you believe God?

Jesus tells about a wealthy landowner who is about to go on a journey and who entrusts the management of his estate to his servants. This landowner recognized the different capabilities of each steward, so he gave to each the amount of money that he thought that each one could manage-five talents to one, two to another, and one to the third.

So are you talented? According to the word of God, You are.  The problem is that you devalue what God gave you. You devaluate what God gave you because when you look at at a Michael Jordan or a Mariah Carey you can no longer see your own significance. Listen to your Self-talk: ’I have zero skills in that area. I don’t have a degree. I’m not good in math. I can’t speak like that.  I wish I were as smart as her. I don’t want to be wealthy because money is the root of all evil’.

If I asked you what natural ability does Micheal Jordan possess you would answer even before I finished asking the question. But if I ask you about your own natural abilities how quickly could you answer? If I asked you how many talents God has given you could you name One?  To be continued…

What are Talents?

 

Pictured is an ancient Greek Amphora.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a man traveling to a far country, who called his own servants and delivered his goods to them.  And to one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, into each according to his own ability; and immediately he went on a journey. Matt 25:14-15

To the Greeks a talent was used as a unit of measure. It was the approximate mass of water required to fill an amphora. The ancient world also used the amphora as a vessel to transport or store wine. To God, a talent or mina is also used as a unit of measure. But instead of water, God fills us with a measure of talents, and the measure by which we are filled ultimately determines our stewardship. In other words, God uses us as vessels to store His purpose. Futhermore, God predetermines (while we are yet in our mothers womb) what measure of talents We require to fulfill His purpose for our lives.  

So what are your talents? Do you know? Are you talented? If God is no respecter of persons, then why do some people seem to be so much more talented than others? Before we move on, there are three critical dimensions of understanding we must adopt from this parable:

The first dimension:  It Informs> God gives people different gifts… One man received five talents, another two, and another one.

The second dimension:  It Instructs> It is not your talent, which matters; what matters is how you use it. God never demands from you abilities which you do not have.

And finally, the third dimension: It Incites> God does demand that We use to the fullness of our abilities that which We do possess.

Everyone is not equal in talent; but every person can be equal in effort. It also means that whatever we have, whether opportunities, talents or gifts, all belong to God; we may possess, but God owns; we are simply stewards. 

To be continued…