Christian Living

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Use Your Talents Well!
© 2007

by

Stephen A. Peterson


During the summer of 2006, Andre Bauer, 13 rode his bicycle towards the Seminole YMCA to maybe shoot a few basketballs. As he crossed the tennis courts, he passed the baseball diamonds where some boys he didn’t know were engaged in a pick up game of baseball. Under the blazing heat of a 90 plus degree Oklahoma morning, Andre stopped to watch the action for just a few minutes. One of the players came to Andre and said the game needed a game official to impartially call the content. Would Andre take the job? Andre was thrilled.

Within minutes of accepting, Andre came to realize it was a mistake. Because of Andre’s inability to visually keep his eyes on fast moving objects boys who knew him never chose him to their side. So Andre felt doomed to spend his entire life on the sidelines. At the time, the boys didn’t know that. Not only was Andre finally in a baseball game with boys his age but he was to be the judge of it.

Andre’s stint as an umpire was a disaster. Because he was having a difficult time locating the ball, he was asked to take a position behind the pitcher’s mound. On each pitch, Andre lost sight of the ball before it arrived in the catcher’s mitt. His calls were pure guesswork. Any action on the part of base runners might as well have happened on the planet Mars. Complaints began to come from both teams. Andre was soon thrown out of the game and told to go home. The situation would not have been so bad if there weren’t threats on his life. After that event in his life, Andre decided to stay on the sidelines of life for a very long time afraid to try anything that might expose his shortcomings or weaknesses.

Andre’s early dread of rejection lingered in him. Then as a Freshman in Seminole high school, he began to take an interest in mathematics and physics. Building things and working hard to determined how they functioned occupied much of the time. Putting together things to determine how they worked mechanically was something he could do by himself. With mathematics and physics he could avoid rejection simply by not showing his inventions or constructed items to anyone. One day in high school, however, Andre inadvertently left a project in the physics lab. The next day, the teacher told Andre that he had studied his science project. He suggested the project be placed in the statewide science fair for high school students. With trepidation, Andre submitted his project. Andre learned his project won the first place prize along with $1,000. This event ended Andre’s doubts about himself.

Andre went on to college. After many years of hard work and study, Andre earned his doctorate degree in Physics from Oklahoma State University. Andre thinks of his life long experience when he read, in Matthew 25, about the Master’s three servants who were given certain talents. Two of the servants utilized their talents and profited. The third servant who had no courage and feared failure buried his talents to be certain he would have it when his master asked him for if he had it. When he was asked to demonstrate how he had used his talent and show progress, he could not. He lost his status, his investment and his job.

Over the years, Andre learned that he nor would anyone know what talents God has given them until a person steps up courageously and accepts the challenges that confront them every day in life. It isn’t failure that is the sin but doubt, fear and doubting the talents that God has given each and every person regardless of age, gender, race, physical or mental attributes. For God never gives out his talents equally. So what makes humanity think that the playing field of life MUST be made equal for humankind to succeed? Courageously use what the Master has given you/us and God WILL do the rest and make you the best in His eyes not in the eyes of humankind!

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