Simplifying Our Goals... 10, 5, 2...

       Was reading this morning in Matthew 25, a string of parables describing the Kingdom of Heaven that Jesus used to call our attention to our "readiness" and how we are living our lives... right now...

       He starts off with the analogy of the 10 virgins: 5 were wise, the other 5 not so much. The 5 wise had oil for their lamps and so when the Bridegroom came, they were let into the wedding (their own wedding). The other 5 had to run and buy more oil and were left pounding on the locked door of the feast with their fists, feeling stupid and disappointed. So, all of us listening to this charismatic, smiling Jesus, wanting only to please Him and be like Him, say how? How do I make sure I'm ready? I don't really want to be one of the five lonely stupid ones...

 Much to our delight, He explains further. A landowner has three servants and leaves 5 talents with one, two with the other, and one with the last. The guy with 5, takes it and invests it, works with it and makes 5 more. The next guy, does the same with his two. The last guy, is scared and thinks he can outsmart the landowners uncanny ways of getting things done - so he buries it, does nothing with it out of fear. 

The landowner comes back. He's happy with the first two, and blesses them with more. However, as you may have guessed, he is pretty angry at the next guy and sends him where the foolish servants go, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth?!?!! Say WHAT?! The Bible straight up calls this guy a worthless servant! At this point in reading, I crack my back and squint my eyes -I'm a little bit nervous.  I just want to make sure that I'm not this dude; I don't want to be unprepared and I don't want to be "worthless". Agh! How do I NOT be this guy?!

So, now Jesus narrows it down again and there are only two options. This is where He talks about the sheep and the goats. All of a sudden light is dispelled every where, His diaphanous and easy yoke is all that remains on our shoulders, and we are not condemned. Those who have fed the hungry, given water to the thirsty, welcomed in the strangers, visited the sick, visited those in prison, those are the ones He knows, and welcomes them into His kingdom. These are the wise virgins, these are the good stewards. It all comes down to His easy yoke, His greatest commandment, loving God with everything and loving our neighbor with everything. Who is our neighbor? Those that society says are dirt, those we are framed to believe are our enemy.  While this is a deep sigh of relief it is also a call to continuous action. We may have done this before, but being ready may mean we continue to do so.

As I was reading this, I was challenged to answer the good ole' Moses question: What is that in your hand? What do I have? My whole day has been messed up. My whole mind is reeling with ideation and desire. How can I use these talents, these resources, what I have right now... and make them grow, make more out of it. The earthly pressure of "big ideas" is suddenly lifted when we are reminded that our goal is to love and obey God and in turn love others as Jesus did. They seem unrelated to me at times, worshipping God, visiting someone who is sick and making a book cover or a painting... but they are not. Luckily, we are not expected to be perfect and understand it all. Christ's sacrifice on the cross has paid it all -He is our righteousness.

 Today it has been my thought process to ask how? How my love for God and my gift and talents can all work together. and what decisions am I to make today to thrive in this principle? Investing my talents? Walking in obedience? Loving my neighbor... 

So maybe as I am on the journey of growing and investing in my literal talents, I will be on the road with people that I can love, feed, and visit. Perhaps I can use my gifts to put me around hurting and hungry people, use my gifts to love... to feed the soul. 

THEN- seeing as the idea of my life has been to slow down and simplify, I can feel my artist-mind getting filled with ideas, but if I followed through on all of them immediately, I'd be right where I started: a busy and scattered mess. So to proceed passionately, and strategically.... this is what I am praying about. 

What do you want from me, God?!

Anyway- I have come to no grand conclusion, but I did want to blog today, and this is what was on my mind. If you have made it to the end of this long blog I congratulate you on your attention span! Thanks for all of the feed back - email me thoughts. I love you all. 

PS-(This whole putting my thoughts in public thing is still a strange feeling for me... but some how I have a feeling it has to do with not burying coins and I'm trying to just go with it. :)  Thanks for the support!