Stewarding Talents

My pastor did a sermon recently speaking on generosity. Sure, there is generosity with money, but what about time, thoughts, and talent?

I’ve been convicted of this lately. God teaches me, gives me wisdom and revelation. Do I keep it to myself or do I share it? I should be sharing it to help disciple others. Do I steward my time like I should? Most times, no. Social media is a major time waster.

What if we used whatever knowledge, gift, and/or talent the Lord gave us and was radically generous with it? Would we make a difference?

It might seem like I’m going way out in left field but bear with me. My husband took on some home projects which includes painting two bathrooms, painting bathroom cabinets, kitchen cabinets, and hanging mirrors and shelves. Long story short, we could have taken one weekend and our master bathroom would have been done (walls painted, all mirrors hung, shelves hung, and cabinets painted). It has been a month and it’s still not complete.

My husband came to me, realizing he procrastinates due to fear of failure. He wants to do a good job and wants perfection. He’s afraid he will come up short, so he puts it off to prevent himself from “failing.” It wasn’t until a few weeks later, I realized I do the same thing. I’ve been wanting to decorate the house, including hanging pictures and some shelving in the kitchen. I put it off because, you guessed it, I didn’t want to “mess up.”

How often do we not move at all due to fear of failure? God has put something on our hearts and we are disobedient because we don’t know enough, we don’t want to mess up, or because we might fail. If we do fail, He will catch us in His grace. It’s BIG ENOUGH. If HE put something on our hearts, we can trust He will guide us every step and use our failures for our ultimate good and His glory.

I want to add that the best learning experiences are through FAILURE. My husband and I grow the most in our marriage after we fail, learn, and change. My 12 month old daughter is learning how to eat solids and to eat with utensils by making a giant mess. I could keep her face, hands, and high chair tray “neat and clean” but if I don’t let her try until she “gets it” then she won’t learn; even if she makes a disaster in the process.

There are people out there who NEED your expertise, your testimony, etc. How dare we hide our light under a bushel. Don’t let fear keep you paralyzed and keep you from taking action. If the Lord has placed something on your heart to bless others and ultimately give Him glory then don’t let fear keep you from moving.