Talents: Controlled by Other or Me?

This weekend at church we were asked what one of our favorite parables that Jesus taught while in his ministry. I responded with the Parable of the Talents. The story of the talents, is that a man gave another man talents, and in this time they were money, so he gets these talents and goes and does as he pleases with them. The man gives talents to others. One man buries his talents in the ground and then the man who originally gave the talents returns and asks what they have done with their given talents. One man invests his talents and has increased his fortune ten fold, the giver of the talents is pleased. The next man says he used his talents but had nothing in return. The giver is still pleased that he put his talents to use. The third and final man says that he buried his talents not using them and keeping them safe. The giver is furious that man did not use what he was given and put it to use in any way. 

This parable teaches us of the talents and gifts we have been given. We should not bury these talents away, but use them even if we have a gain or loss in our life. We should not let others keep us from using our talents, we were made and developed this way to be special, unique, and different then our neighbor or even our family member. 

In Their Eyes Were Watching God Janie's grandmother throughout her life has been holding her life back. Everything that Janie does her grandmother has an input and not wanting to be rude or upset her elders, she does what she asks. As the story progresses and at the end, Janie says no, she finally say no to her grandmother and runs away with Tea Cakes to have a long happy life. As people we crave what we crave, we want what we want, it's just part of our lives and who we have been shaped into being. Everything else that isn't helping us is holding us back. We should not let others make our decisions for us, we are our own person capable of making our own decisions and living with the consequences. 

Open Wings, Open Mind

When we meet someone, go for an interview, or maybe are introduced to your girlfriends parents, what is the first thing that happens? We are judged, or judge someone. First impressions are super and greatly important. We as humans judge people in the first 5 seconds we meet them, and then after that it takes 21 more encounters to change their first impression of you! Something that humans obsess over, and also is a large part of their psyche, is what people think and view of them. It can drive others crazy. We also, as humans judge people instantly if they are different from us in any way. If someone dresses different then us, if someone has a disability, if someone talks differently, we automatically judge them categorize them as different, but not necessarily bad. I know that when I see someone who maybe is less fortunate, or cannot do things as well as others, I feel sorry for them, not hate them. 

All these human nature attributes are correctly portrayed in "The Old Man with very Large Wings". A man falls to the earth near a cabin, where a couple is throwing out crabs from their shack. When they discover this man he is not an ordinary man, he has wings. As we naturally do as humans, we are afraid and we judge. The couple alerts the twin and they lock the man in a cage, they point fingers and make fun of this odd creature. As I was reading this I was like wow guys! C'mon! This is the classic an angel has fallen, save him and he turns out to be an awesome creature who gives you 3 wishes! 

As people we shouldn't judge others, right off the bat. Sometimes people have bad things going on in their lives that they can't control. Not everyone can have a perfect first impression. Everyone has bad days, everyone has difficult times, we shouldn't make it harder. I'm not asking to give everyone the benifit of the doubt, if someone is being a jerk then obviously it's their fault. But not everyone is a jerk, I ask to keep an open mind.