HOW often I see many whispering about someone who has made a fortune, or done well or uses his talents of writing or speaking, with envy.
“Oh,” we say, “He bribes people that’s why he’s rich!” “He’s a cheat!” We find excuses for our own failure by pulling other’s down.
I’m sure you all remember the Biblical story of the rich man who on a journey away from home entrusted his servants with three different amounts of gold.
To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.
So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
Now we all know what happened when the master returned and finding that the first two had doubled their amounts justly rewarded them. But what I found sad was what the third fellow had to say, about why he did nothing.
‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. So, I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’
“His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So, you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned, I would have received it back with interest.”
“So, take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.
And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
That’s one furious master isn’t it? But look a little deeper, the servant seemed to have a lot of resentment against his master which he used to justify his own inadequacy.
And there’s a punishment meted out for him doing so. Are we doing the same? Instead of rising to meet the standards of those who are doing well, we spread rumours about them?
Stop doing that.
Be like the first and second servant, who despite what they thought of their master, did the best with the responsibility given to them.
And like it’s mentioned in the parable, there’s a terrible punishment for such whiners, so stop it and excel in the God given talents you have been made steward of..!
