“. . . you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.” . . . “Well done, good and faithful servant.” – Matthew 25:20,21 

Until I read Julia Cameron’s classic book, The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, my long-held belief had been that creativity was limited to those we often think of as “real artists” – painters, sculptors, writers, musicians and the like. It never occurred to me that we are all creative. But as Julia Cameron explains, if we are in fact created in the image of the Creator then it stands to reason that we too are creators. In other words, we are all endowed with the gift of creativity in some form.

In the “Parable of the Talents” Jesus tells of a wealthy man who went away on a journey. In his absence he entrusted his financial assets (talents) with three managers. To one he entrusted five “talents”, to another two, and to the third one. After his return he called upon his managers for an accounting. The manager who had been entrusted with five talents as well as the manager with two had each doubled his money during his absence for which the wealthy master was extremely pleased. But the third man had not bothered to invest the money at all with which he’d been entrusted, but instead had hidden it away. For that the master was not only disappointed but furious.

I’ve often wondered why the master was so angry; after all he got his money back which seems better than losing it, right? Maybe that was a little disappointing, but to be furious? Then several years ago I began to study Julia Cameron’s works and that’s when the parable started to make sense to me; that is, we too have been entrusted with certain gifts, talents or resources with which we can either choose to invest in the good work of God’s Kingdom or do nothing, the equivalent of squandering.

Sometimes we define creativity too narrowly, confining it to only that small chosen group of “real artists.” But in reality, everything we do requires creative choices. God has given each of us some special unique creative ability and entrusted us to invest it wisely. Or as Julia Cameron says, “The Great Creator has gifted us with creativity. Our gift back is our use of it.” So, how are you investing what’s been entrusted to you?

“Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up.” – Romans 15:2 

Imagine a young teenager being preyed upon by cyber-bullies, which tragically has become a common occurrence in our society today. As we all know, such hurtful behavior can be especially devastating for someone at that vulnerable and tender age. So, it was with this child who, from all the awful things being said to her and about her over the internet, went into an emotional tailspin of deep depression. But then an amazing and unexpected thing happened. Dozens and dozens of letters started pouring in from friends and neighbors within the community expressing encouragement and support. It was that overwhelming encouragement that brought about the turning point when she began to rebound from her anxiety and depression. Soon she was back on solid ground looking forward to a bright and productive future.

Far from being an imaginary story, we witnessed this happen, and were in fact among those who wrote letters of support and encouragement. I recall feeling especially empathetic toward her because of an experience I had had in my own life. I was in my junior year of college, a time when I should have seen light at the end of tunnel toward graduation. Instead, I hit a wall, a period of self-doubt, a what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life crisis. My grades began to suffer as I lost faith in myself, even doubting God. Then an amazing and unexpected thing happened. A single letter arrived in my mailbox one day. It was from John, a man who was like a second father to me – a neighbor! – yet not one in the habit of writing letters. There it was, though, in barely legible handwriting, at most four or five sentences long, part much-deserved kick in the shorts, and part much-needed and appreciated message of encouragement, exactly what I needed. It was, like the young teenager, the turning point when I began to rebound.

Each of us should probably be asking ourselves who we know who needs a word of encouragement? The answer, of course, is everyone! As someone once pointed out, “There isn’t one person in your line of vision who is as confident as they seem. We’re all one failure, snide comment, or bad hair day away from self-doubt.” Therefore, “Each of us should please our neighbors for their good, to build them up.” What a difference those scores of letters made in the life of that young teenager, and what a difference that one single thoughtful letter made to me!

“The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” – Mark 2:27 

Back in the 1950’s and ‘60’s in the small town where I grew up we could hardly buy a loaf of bread or bottle of milk on Sunday, mostly because of “blue laws” that existed in those days which prohibited the sale of most consumer goods on Sundays, though I also believe there were many citizens who actually honored the Sabbath by observing the fourth commandment. Regardless, the town was essentially closed for business that one day a week providing people an opportunity to rest, relax and reflect.

We’ve often heard it said that no one on a death bed ever confessed, “I wish I had spent more time at the office.” When I hear that I’m often reminded of a former colleague and close friend with whom I worked when I was in the corporate world. She was extraordinarily talented, had achieved tremendous success, and seemed to have a bright future. But she worked relentlessly, long hours seven days a week. It always puzzled me that she worked so much, for I held a similar position in the company, achieved comparable success, and also had a promising future, yet I never put in the hours she did. One day I received word that my friend had become gravely ill, and soon thereafter she died – at way too young of an age. I still grieve when I think of her, and even feel a little guilty that I was unable to encourage her to cut back her hours and take a break, showing her the importance of Sabbath. Had I done so, I wonder, would she still be among us, and more importantly with her family? I wish I had convinced her to spend less time at the office.

Man was not made for the Sabbath as we too often misinterpret the fourth commandment; rather, the Sabbath was made for man. Honoring the Sabbath is not meant to restrict us, but to revitalize us so we can live abundantly. As I think back on those times when we were more observant of the Sabbath, no one seemed to miss not buying milk and bread on Sunday – or anything else. We simply worked the other six days and prepared to have a day off to rest, relax, reflect and give thanks, after which we went back to work – invigorated and with a greater sense of purpose. “The Sabbath was made for man …”

“But the greatest of these is love.” – 1 Corinthians 13:13 

“What the world needs now is love sweet love,” so claims the 1965 hit song co-written by Hal David and Burt Bacharach and recorded by Jackie De Shannon. That song’s been going through my mind lately, partly because I do believe that’s what the world is badly in need of. But also, in just a few short weeks Tee and I will be celebrating forty-eight years of marriage (you can hold the applause for now, we’re not quite there yet) and how both of us marvel at how much we still love each other, more in fact than ever. Well, that’s sweet and romantic you’re probably thinking. But it’s not the warm and fuzzy feelings I’m talking about – although, we do still have that too. Rather, what I’m referring to is love as a verb, the intentional and ongoing hard work of loving. And as for the warm and fuzzy feelings, they’re a mere side benefit derived from working at it.

In his 2008 book Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell claims that “ten thousand hours is the magic number for greatness.” Based on his studies of elite performers, Gladwell contended that it’s “an extraordinary consistent answer in an incredible number of fields . . . you need to have practiced, to have apprenticed, for 10,000 hours before you get good.” Gladwell’s examples included Bill Gates who began coding as a teen, and the Beatles who played countless eight-hour gigs, for both grueling hours of practice and hard work, which allowed them to respectively invent software and modern rock and roll.

If ten thousand hours is the magic number for greatness in other fields, doesn’t it also apply to love? Like any other discipline, love requires effort and commitment, and endless hours of practice. It is not something that just happens, a warm and fuzzy feeling one hopes to be lucky enough to experience. No, elite performance, including love, requires practice that is ongoing. Which means that if my math is correct Tee and I are rapidly approaching over 420,000 hours.

Jesus was once asked what is the greatest commandment? Without hesitation he replied that we are to love God and love our neighbor. If we are ever to tackle the tough issues, divisions and crises of our day, we must commit ourselves to love, the kind of love that is a verb, requiring action and hard work, without which there is no love. It’s “what the world needs now.” Or as Saint Paul says, “But the greatest of these is love.”

“Let not the wise man boast about his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches . . .” – Jeremiah 9:23 

Once upon a time my colleagues and I, all of us responsible for business units within our company, were summoned to New York for a meeting with the boss. During the meeting the boss went around the conference table asking each of us to describe our best marketing idea. Dutifully, we each told about some crazy gimmick we had tried, claiming far greater success than was probably true. Except this one particular colleague who, when it came her turn to speak, simply stated that the most effective marketing for her business unit had been to provide the highest quality customer service possible, treating everyone with professionalism, dignity and respect. Well, the boss – to say the least – did not take kindly to that. He wanted a big idea, not that namby-pamby stuff.

Later that evening, though, several of us, myself included, confided privately to that colleague that we agreed with what she had said, but lacked the courage to say so because we did not want to suffer the grief from the boss that she was now having to endure. Instead, we had responded by saying what we knew he wanted to hear, knowing most our ideas were cheesy at best, and the results greatly exaggerated. I think deep down the boss knew that as well, but he needed something to boast about to his superiors.

To be clear, I do believe marketing to be a valuable endeavor, and an essential element in driving our highly competitive economy. But there is a fine line between marketing and boasting, as the above story illustrates; for boasting is about shining the spotlight on one’s self, while marketing focuses on benefits to be gained by others. Our boss’s obvious interest was in profits and job security, the same trap that had snared the rest of us. But one brave colleague took a higher road, speaking boldly about the importance of caring for others first. Hers, despite the abuse she took from the boss, was a true example of what effective marketing should accomplish.

“Let not the wise man boast about his wisdom or the strong man boast of his strength or the rich man boast of his riches . . .” Rather, may those who are wise share it with others, those who are strong use it to protect and strengthen others, and those who are rich show kindness and benevolence toward those who are in need.