"Wicked and lazy servant..." That's seems to be quite a statement from an all knowing, all loving God about someone who wouldn't use their talents. When I read it as a child, my first thought was that God was acting in kind of a mean way towards someone who didn't do what He wanted them to do.
Now that I'm older, I think I've begun to see something taking shape in this parable that makes much more sense to me on my spiritual journey. Let me submit it to you for your consideration:
God is the giver of good gifts. He gives us life, talents, and people that we can share those gifts with. If we call ourselves His followers, we're expected to use all the good things that He gave us to bless other people.
Life is hard for others sometimes, but God puts some pretty amazing opportunities in our paths to bless them with just some of the talents that we have been blessed with. What we do with those opportunities can make an amazing difference to someone else.
It's an amazing (and sometimes daunting) thought, that God would ever choose me to do anything to add value to others lives, but with God's help we can use what He has given to us to make a difference. He expects it.
