Then the servant with the one bag of silver came and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a harsh man, harvesting crops you didn’t plant and gathering crops you didn’t cultivate. I was afraid I would lose your Money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back.’
—Matthew 25:24-25 (NLT)
Imagine God giving someone something to cultivate, but the person thinks they would do God a favor by hiding what was given to them. Some people hide their talents, skills, resources, and abilities, simply because they are “afraid [they] would lose” the very thing that what was intended for them to cultivate. Fear of Losing is what often keeps many people from investing the things they have, that can be multiplied.
We know the verse above is taken from a story about three servants who were given money to invest, according to their abilities. Of the three servants, two of them doubled what they were given, by taking risks and making investments. On the other hand, the servant above decided that, since the master who gave him the money was accustomed to winning and reaping good harvests, he did not want to risk losing his master’s money. So instead, when his master returned, he gave his master back what was given to him, with a zero percent return on the investments he was too afraid to make.
The other two servants in this parable had equal opportunity to be afraid of losing the money they were given to multiply. However, winners bury their fear of losing and act based on the opportunities they have to invest. People who are not winners, bury their opportunities to invest and act based on their fear of losing. Which type of person will we be? Today, let us decide to actively increase the things our God allowed for us to be stewards over in this life.
Lots of Love, XO
