DISCOVER YOUR GIFT AND USE IT TO SERVE

DISCOVER YOUR GIFT AND USE IT TO SERVE
By Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
There is one very important thing that many people are missing out in life. They do not discover, develop and distribute their gift, which explains why these people do not live with passion and zest. It is important for you to realize that you are gifted in a way like everybody else.

Jesus Christ, the greatest teacher in all human history used the parable of the talents to indicate that God has given everyone he created a gift which that person should use for the benefit of others. Here is a brief summary of that parable: There was a wealthy man who wanted to travel to another country. But before he embarked on the journey, he called a meeting of three of his managers and distributed his property to them.

To the first manager he gave five talents, which was worth 200 kilograms of silver. He gave the second manager two talents, which was worth 80 kilograms of silver. The third manager got one talent which was worth 40 kilograms of silver. The rich man's plan was that the managers would invest what he gave them so that they would make more money for him.

The rich man traveled. He was away for a long time and only returned when the three managers least expected him. His return was a joyful occasion and he wanted to celebrate it with the three managers, his family and loved ones.

He again assembled the “big three” and asked each one of them to render accounts of what they did with the money he gave them.

The manager who received five talents stepped forward and said, “You gave me five talents; I invested it and gained five more, here is the money.” The rich man praised this manager for being a wise investor. Because he was pleased with the manager he told him he would entrust him with greater responsibilities and invited him to celebrate with him.

The second manager also proved to be a responsible person. He was given two talents but invested and gained two more. “Here are your four talents”, he said. The rich man was very much pleased with the second manager for a job well done and invited him to his celebration. He promised giving him higher responsibilities.

The third manager also stepped forward, but the accounts he rendered was very disappointing. He did not invest the talent that he was given. He explained that he was afraid the money might get lost in a business transaction. Moreover he knew his boss always made a profit in all his business transactions. He said, “To protect your money I buried it in a safe place. Here it is.”

“What a foolish action!” the rich man said angrily. If you knew I always made a profit from my business, why did you not deposit the money at the bank for it to yield an interest for me?

The rich man then ordered his servants, “Take the money from him and give it to the man who has the 10 talents.”

There are important lessons we can learn from the story above: that we are all gifted in a way, that some may have more gifts than others, that success cannot be achieved without the element of risk, and finally that we are all responsible for using our talents or risk losing them.

To live a fulfilling life, discover your talent, ability or capability and use it responsibly. What you do effortlessly and excellently well may be a clue that it is your gift. Talent that is well used can bring you wealth and riches. You can become a great person if you discover, develop and distribute your talent or use it to serve society.

Abundant Robert K. AWOLUGUTU
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