Christian Living

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Talent—On Loan From God
© 2006
by

Stephen A. Peterson


On a hot June 8, 1966, the Reverent Cleary told the Scecina Memorial High School senior class what life repeats over and over—the each person has a talent. A person’s talent will only be realized when that person daily looks to God for guidance and set their mind to seeing their talent through.

According to Father Cleary, what keeps people from their goals are several things. Vacillation is one of the leading barriers. Impatience is another—generally a close second.

Father Cleary’s commencement address reminded this writer of the 19th century steel industrialist—philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie emigrated from Scotland to the United States in the year 1848 with the clothes on his back and the equivalency of five cents in his pocket. With his nickel, Carnegie reportedly became the wealthiest man in the world producing and selling steel. What many people fail to realize is that Carnegie had to do without food and shelter. He, in fact, had to beg others for his next meal or to work for food. Even while he was working towards building his steel empire, he experienced a number of financial and personal failures. In the face of adversity, Andrew Carnegie recognized his talent to manufacture and sell steel products that move the United States forward as an industrial power.

In the year 2006, many libraries throughout the United States bear the name of Andrew Carnegie who, towards the end of his life, gave much of his hard earned fortune to the advancement of human knowledge through grants, scholarships and fellowships-- or Andrew Carnegie never had much formal education.

Generally speaking, God put most of the tools we need to succeed in life close by. The problem is that our perspective is clouded by the familiar. Ask God to give you new eyes to evaluate the harbor at hand before you venture off in the direction of some distant rainbow towards the unknown as Andrew Carnegie did more than a century ago. Your pot of gold could be right under your nose requiring next to no far away travel!!!

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