“Hoarding: Buried Alive”
By Pamela Blattner
"I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back." Matthew 25:25 (NLT)
By Pamela Blattner
"I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back." Matthew 25:25 (NLT)
Last night I surfed the stations on our cable and was amazed at how many reality shows there are. You can watch children with problems set on the straight and narrow inThe World's Strictest Parents. If you are not happy with your spouse, you can Wife Swap for another while everybody watches. The world is also even now invited into the private moments of drug and alcohol interventions. One of the newest reality shows to hit the airwaves is called Hoarding: Buried Alive. People on this show have made a lifestyle out of holding on to what they have.
The verse above comes from a story of three servants who were entrusted by their master with his money while he was away. The first two servants pleased their master by multiplying what they had been given. The third servant hid the money, keeping it safe, but also keeping it from earning interest. In other words, he hoarded what his master had given him. Why did he do this? The servant was afraid. He was so consumed by his fear that he did nothing. He was afraid of messing up. He was paralyzed by the thought of doing something wrong. In fear, he made a hiding place, hid the money and then gave it back.
I decided to watch this new “hoarding” show, and as the program ended, I felt compassion toward the hoarder and pondered the events of the story from Matthew in my mind. A picture of myself came to me and I didn’t like it. In the picture, I was bowing before my holy Lord, giving back exactly what He entrusted to me, nothing more. I questioned myself: Am I responding to my Master as this servant responded to his master? Have I fully used or am I fully using, even developing, the gifts and talents He has entrusted to me? Am I hiding what He gave me out of fear of failure?
It is easy to think we are not good enough or that we are undeserving of God's gifts. Our negative thoughts take us captive, leading us to believe we would reflect poorly upon our Lord if we dared to multiply and grow what He has given us. Praise God our intervention is not dramatized in front of millions of people! We stand before an audience of One…the only One who matters...our precious Savior, Jesus Christ. Ask Him to supply the confidence you need to clean out your hiding places.
GOING DEEPER:
1. Are you fully using, even developing, the gifts and talents God has entrusted to you? Are you hiding what He gave you out of fear?
FURTHER READING:
Matthew 25:14-28; Colossians 3:23
Pam and her husband Richard have two adult children and two grandchildren. She serves Oakwood through its Family Care Ministries and is Co-Coordinator of Lake Country Touched Twice.
