The Parable of the Talents
By: Sharon Lai
Tags: Christianity, Art

“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.” — Romans 8:26

Matthew 25: 14–30 “The parable of the talents” — it’s the parable that caused a turning point in my walk with God.

In the parable, there is a man who gave his first servant five talents, the second servant two talents, and the third servant one talent. The man went away and entrusted his servants to make good use of their talents. The first servant used his five talents and received five more. The second servant made two talents more. The third one dug his talent in the ground and hid his master’s money. On his journey back, the man rewarded the first and second servant. The third servant was scolded by the man and his talent was given away to another man with ten. This parable ends with this harsh truth: “For everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

The mindset of the third servant reflected my character from the start of my university years. I thought all things would start well with me pursuing a fine arts degree. Little did I know that I would become so self-conscious with my career path. I thought that I could not benefit society as much as someone with, for example, a computer science degree. I also remember people would ask why I would risk completing a degree that would give me little chance of employment. Thus, for the sake of those I hung out with, I buried a precious talent.

Even while I was still studying in the fine arts program, I kept telling others that my degree was worthless. However, I wasn’t brave enough to drop my program because my parents had invested a lot in my studies. Instead, I elevated my so-called “talents” that seemed more acceptable compared to society’s standards. Three years have passed, I got a co-op job in Spring 2018 that was in a completely different field. I remembered that time that I was so glad in doing such a simple job with decent income. But close to the end of my internship, my manager told me an important message that has had an impact on my worldview until now. At first, I disagreed with him, saying that ‘I should pursue what I am passionate about’. But then I asked myself some questions — “what is passion? Why would I pursue a passion where I can end up being broke?” My manager also described different situations of people he knew who decided to leave a job to pursue a risky, yet worthwhile career that would fit their lifetime goals.This talk took me days to realize my affinity towards the arts, to stop looking down on myself and those who pursued visual arts, as well as to break my bondage with man’s approval. God had to soften my heart, and to restore the lost years when I could not accept visual arts as what God designed me to do. While this message can drive so many people into pursuing unrealistic dreams, I would not understand God, who offered a perspective where I had to make art because of Him.

This situation has helped me reassess my understanding of the Gospel. To think that I was negligent of what I could offer to the body of Christ! I realized that we are called to serve our brothers and sisters in Christ fervently, as said in 1 Corinthians 12: 27. Spiritual gifts are also applied for serving the church. While a talent is a skill that we are naturally born with, a spiritual gift is a skill that we can develop and use when we are born again. With the talent I had buried for so long, I began to see results as I nurtured it. I built a portfolio that led me to a new co-op job that was more related to my field of study, and designed some materials to be used for my church’s business card. Even when good fruits were produced, there were still some challenges that shook my faith. Last summer, He had taken away what I was being blessed with — being let go of my last co-op job without any warning and leaving a church where the prosperity gospel was preached. This time was also a pivotal point when I made art based on this painful experience, and learned that God was enough. Thanks to Him, for I am still standing now!

To wrap things up, Matthew 25: 14–30 and 1 Corinthians 12:27 help me to use my talents to serve the body of Christ and other communities outside of the church. As followers of Christ, even though you are suffering, will you still be able to use your talents or spiritual gifts for the glory of God?