Thought For The Week 19 November 2023

As I was considering this week’s Gospel reading of Matthew 25:14-30, the Parable of the bags of gold (or talents), I came across this poem by Eddie Askew, inspired by this passage. I thought it was too good not to share and hope it is a blessing to you.

Lord, I understand,

That what you’ve given me

Is meant to be developed

I understand.

Which isn’t the same as saying I like it.

I’d prefer life ready-made.

Bought off the peg.

A reasonable fit, but cheap.

Nothing too demanding.

A holiday cruise,

full of colour and romance,

But air-conditioned from the heat

of commitment.

What you ask sometimes seems

More like a seat in a galley.

Rowing hard against the tide,

and sometimes into danger.

A little exercise,

a little love,

a little bit of giving,

is one thing – or three, to be exact –

But your demands are so much more.

You ask my life and time,

my mind and heart.

You’re never satisfied with less.

It seems a bit unreasonable, Lord.

Too much for you to ask, or me to give.

But then, Lord, I acknowledge

That your demands are made in love.

That in its fertile ground my roots can spread and grow up to maturity.

That what you offer me

isn’t the grind of soulless self-denial,

but the affirmation of my being.

That in the contradictory freedom

that your service brings,

I can be so much more

than I ever was before.

I find I’m rich with talents

I never knew I had,

whether through laziness or lack of consciousness

I’m never sure.

And I can live beyond myself.

Lord, help me step out

in fearful faith today.

Ready to use my energies for you.

In hope.

In confidence.

With joy

Luke Blackbeard