Renaissance Woman

For years I have considered myself a “Renaissance Woman”. Not because I’m well rounded but because I am well-rounded. Ha! Physically, I am round. I have been that way most of my adult life. I can’t help it. Even if I weighed 100 lbs. I would still be round. That’s just the way I was made. I don’t apologize.

But this morning at Mass I made up my mind that I am a Renaissance woman in other ways.

The Gospel was from Matthew 25:14-30: “Then the one who had received the one talent came forward and said, ‘Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back.’ His master said to him in replay, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather when I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? Now then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And throw this useless servant into the darkness outside, where there will be waiting and grinding of teeth.’”

I have heard this story so many times, for years and years. I always like these parables that Jesus uses to teach. But here I am hearing the story like never before. This time because I did not concentrate on the phrase “you wicked, lazy servant”. I have never been considered “wicked” that I know about. But I have been considered “lazy” and that one hit home a little. My mother hated lazy people. So there were times while I was growing up that she would refer to me as “lazy”. My sister and brother have said that about me quite a few times. I liked to lay around. No, I loved to lay around. I could climb out of bed, move to the couch, stay there all day until it was time to go back to the bed. I love those days. But I did learn that those days would/could only be used sparingly. I will say this though. I come from a long line of nappers.

So, that was always what I heard out of that Gospel. But what I heard today was different. I heard the word “talents”. I have always considered “talents” to be coins or money of some type. Not today. Today, I took the word literally. The word “talent” means “a special ability that allows someone to do something well”. I had to stop in my tracks. Because we all have talents. And we all have untapped talents. And we all have talents that we only use for ourselves. I have a myriad of talents. I am always amazed when people are amazed at my talents. I know I have them, maybe I need to put them out there a little more.

I will tell you that I am talented. No, I’m not a tap dancer, although I did train to be one when I was about 3 or 4. I am not a marksman although I did get a ribbon at camp one year for archery. But I do have talents. I can write. Am I a Hemingway? No, but I have been told that people do enjoy my writing. So, let’s mark that one down. I can take photographs. I will never be an Ansel Adams but if I was to tour out west I think I could come pretty close. It’s a lot easier today to make dramatic photographs with everyone having a camera in their hands at all times and lots of filters to go around. I can sing although usually I only sing for me and my family. I’m pretty good at karaoke and I just started cantoring at church even though I’ve been singing to the top of my lungs in church my entire life. I can speak in public and I can talk circles around most people. I’ve been told I could sell ice to an Eskimo. So, these are some of my talents.

All right, out of those talents, which have I buried and which have I used to multiply and give back to my “Master”. Oh, the truth may be coming out here. It’s only been the last few years that I have used my writing to the Glory of God. And I am not consistent with it. So, I will say that my writing has been buried. I know that up until the last years I would not let anyone know that I could write or that I would let anyone read my writing. I often beat myself up over this one. I should have been doing this for years. Think about how far along I would be if I had done what I’m doing now when I was in my 20’s or 30’s. Photography. I took up photography when I was 16. But I haven’t used that consistently either. I always had an excuse: I didn’t have a good camera, the lighting was bad, I didn’t have a means to edit my photographs. Yeah, I haven’t buried that one but I certainly haven’t tried to multiply that talent to the Glory of God. Singing. Maybe that one’s not been buried. Most of the singing I’ve done since I was in the 7th grade, at least, has been in church. That one might not have been buried. But it took me a long time to use it the way God intended me to use it. All right, I’ll talk about speaking and talking because I have truly not used those to the Glory of God. But it is something that I’ve wanted to do for a good six months now. Maybe this is my wake up call. And in doing that then maybe I can use that talent in discipleship and allow that to take on a life of its own. Maybe that will open me up so that I can sell the Christ that I know to those that do not believe.

In the parable it doesn’t say how long the Master was gone, only that he was gone for a long time. Good. Maybe I have the time needed to put my talents out there and do as He tells me to do.

I think, after all these years, that I have finally gotten the message that this story teaches. I don’t have to worry about being lazy anymore. Hopefully I still have the time and the talent to turn it all around and be able to hear my Master say “Well done, my good and faithful servant”. This Renaissance Woman can’t wait for that day.