Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

The three men in the parable of the talents all receive something. The first man gets to be ruler over many things because he had 5 talents and he went and traded and got 5 more talents to have a total of ten. The second man also gets to be ruler over many things because he had 2 talents and he goes and trades and gets 2 more to have a total of four talents. The third man however, since he didn't go and trade for more talents and hide his talent, he got his talent taken away. The number of talents received isn't what mattered. What mattered was whether the talents that were given were used or hidden. The gifts that were received for gaining more talents was way better then the number of talents given in the beginning.

The third man hid his talent because he was afraid and didn't want to lose the one talent that he had.

The teachings in the different scriptures teaches us many things regarding talents. It teaches that God didn't give us a spirit of fear, but He gave us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind. The scripture it gives in Proverbs is my favorite one and it is saying that we need to trust in the Lord for everything because He knows better and He will direct us if we only trust in Him. We also need to make sure that we're not fearing man more than the Lord. These scriptures help us and me not to have fear because as long as we're doing good, then God will give us power and strength to overcome any fear.

A better way for me to use the talents that the Lord has given me is to slowly build up to it. I could practice songs and offer to play piano in sacrament meeting or sing a song in sacrament meeting or at other events so I get used to using my talents and then they will only grow and I won't be afraid to use them anymore.