Talents and Equality

God made the world in six days. It was a pretty incredible task. He knew from the start what would happen with the world – including each of us. That is why when he created each of us in a specific mold. We are each a vital part of the body of Christ. I think I have ranted about that before, so just to avoid redundancy, I won’t go into it.

The problem I want to talk about today is people trying to make everyone equal. Envy is a dangerous sin – unlike jealousy, which is me wanting what you have, envy is destructive. It says if I can’t have it, you shouldn’t either. Take for example, if you get a new 52 inch plasma screen high definition TV, I might be jealous and want one like it (actually, I don’t watch much TV, so it probably wouldn’t matter that much). However, where I cross that line is saying, “Well, I can’t afford a TV like that, so I will just “accidentally” tip yours over so that you can’t have one either. Either that or I go out and buy one that I can’t afford on credit because I feel entitled to it.

In a society where envy has taken over most of the population, our nation is moving closer and closer to this principle of envy. It seems that they believe that if I go out and work my tail off and make a decent living, that they need to tax me extra so that they can give it to the less fortunate. Taking the money that I work hard for and giving it to someone who sits at home because they “can’t find a job” or “can’t work because they are depressed” and get paid for it. I’m fine with helping out children, widows, and the elderly, but the government is so inefficient at it that they can’t even get it right. Yet they take so much from most of us that we don’t have the means to do very many charitable acts. Let me keep that money that you squander and when I come across someone needy, I’ll give it to them. But why penalize me because I’m working to succeed. Why not make Mr. “too good to get a job” get out and work for his money.

I heard a preacher say that God gave each of us talents. But he didn’t just make some of us Mozart or Michelangelo. He gave us a seed of talent and we are in charge of taking that seed, planting it, nurturing it, and growing it to its potential. He did not give everyone the same seed or even the same amount. I may be good at farm work, but I will never be as good as my brother, who was given a much bigger seed. However, my seed was computers. I have been able to take my seed and nurture it – now it is blooming for me. Everyone has their own talents. It is just a matter of finding them and growing them into their full potential.

Some people complain that it is not fair that I have more talent than they do. But Peyton Manning has more talent than me at football. That isn’t fair. We should make him tie his right hand behind his back to play so it is more equal. Kobe Bryant? Make him wear 20 pound lead shoes so it is harder to move. Michael Phelps? Give him a weighted vest that he has to wear in races.

Now – I’m tall, maybe I need to be cut off at the knees so I’m not too tall. My wife is good at baking – better change out her sugar with white sand. It’s ridiculous. But much as the readings of the faithful servants point out – we will be judged based on what we were given.

If I’m given 5,000 talents and I double it – that is good. If you are given 2,000 talents and you triple it, that is even better. Even though I’ve got 10,000 and you only 6,000, God will know that you did more with less and you will be justly rewarded. He won’t say that you don’t have as much as me and so you don’t get as much reward.

“The measure of who we are is what we do with what we have.” – Vince Lombardi

But now, I’m going back to growing my talents and working on the mission God has entrusted to me.