Dear friends,

As a kid, Jesus’ parable of the talents bothered me.

In the familiar story, a rich man goes on a trip and gives three servants a chunk of change to manage — each a different amount but all significant. 

When the master returns, two servants have doubled the money. He’s pleased. ​“Well done! Let’s work together more.” 

Then it gets uncomfortable.

The other servant stammers, ​“Master, I know you have high standards…that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money” (Matthew 25:24 MSG).

The master is furious, has the servant thrown into ​“outer darkness,” and gives his money to the servant with the most. 

Being an insecure child, I related to the servant who buried the money. The story raised lots of questions… 

Why was the master so harsh with him?

Is God that harsh with us? 

If we are commanded to fear God, why is the servant punished for having an abundance of fear for the master?

Many years later, as my own distorted picture of God came into view, the parable made more sense. The story became a source of hope rather than dread. 

I see now that the last servant operated from a set of assumptions about the master: he’s harsh, exacting, unforgiving. The master doesn’t correct these assumptions; he even seems to live up to them in the end. But that doesn’t mean the servant had a clear picture of his master’s heart.

One might conclude that only the last servant feared the master. But all the servants did. It was the substance of their fear that differed. 

The last servant feared failure, punishment, and being a disappointment. Paralyzed by a distorted picture of his master, he played the victim and missed out on the joy of partnership.

The other two held the master in high esteem and with utmost respect. They believed he had good intentions for them. Their picture of him didn’t shut them down; it empowered them to take risks and know his delight.

With the help of people like Trevor Hudson (whose article is featured below), I’ve been gradually redrawing an accurate picture of God. One that affirms…

God delights to partner with us.
God is better than we hoped.
God looks like Jesus. 
God is with us.
God is for us.
God is good.
God is love.