Who’s Got Talent?: 18 October 2009

This is such a beautiful time of the year here in NE Wisconsin. The fall foliage is now at peak color and the landscape dances with brilliant oranges, reds, yellows amid the green of pine and spruce trees. Taking a glimpse at the woods on our land from the house I can see some red and a few splashes of orange foliage but to my dismay the most common color is yellow. I know that just on the other side of the woods there are plenty of trees with vibrant orange leaves but the view cannot be seen or enjoyed from the house – it remains hidden (unless I take a drive around this country block). And I ponder things that are hidden.

Though not the gospel for this weekend in most Christian churches, I cannot help thinking about the story of the servants who received talents from their master – five, two and one – and the servant who received only the one talent going off and burying it so as not to lose it (Matthew 25:14-18-25). What are the things, the qualities that make up who we are and what we enjoy that we hide from others and sometimes even ourselves? Our Sacred Provider lavishes each of us with rich blessings and talents meant not to be hidden away for safe keeping but to be enjoyed and shared. Oh, we may think we don’t really have any special talents or anything of value to share with others, but we do! By working on a hobby or learning to become more proficient at a craft honors our Sacred Gift-Giver who has bestowed upon us the ability to create, whether it is making something useful, writing, photography, or any number of leisurely pursuits. And we can brighten someone’s day merely by sharing the gift of ourselves – our time, care, compassion. It costs us nothing but the returns are abundant.

I snapped this picture on today’s rainy and dreary afternoon. To my delight, the various vibrant fall colors of the woods, when taken in as a whole appear to be hidden from sight as compared to the view on the back side of the woods, are amazingly abundant with color when captured on film. When another looks at us, what do they see? William Shakespeare wrote: “To thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man” (Hamlet, Act I, Scene 3). If we are to be true to who we really are, the beloved of our Sacred Creator, will we strive to develop and use the gifts and blessings we have been given to benefit the lives of others and our world?

Peace on the Journey.