It would seem that determining what is attainable would be a
paradox—finding the balance between practicality and spirituality, drawing the
ultra-fine line between prudence and faith…where does one begin and the other
end? I’m reminded of the interns in the office, teetering on the edge between
college life and career days, leaning toward childhood or adulthood through a
variety of situations...In some moments, so wise, and, in others, in need of a
nanny (a really stern one who would send them to bed without supper). God must
see us the same way, sometimes.
To define what is attainable for YOU, you need to know
yourself, and spend enough time alone with God to begin to understand your
purpose. Until you know Him, you will never know who you are.
When I think of the abilities that set different levels of
attainability for us all, I am reminded of two people in very different
situations: First, the unambitious, snarky third servant in Jesus’ parable of
the talents, whose master entrusted him with the smallest amount; and second,
Solomon.
The servant’s master, upon departing for a journey,
entrusted portions of his riches to three different servants—the first one
received a large sum, the second received a moderate sum, and the third, a tiny
sum. He must have known these guys well
enough to graphs what each was capable of handling, much like a good manager
does. He was right. The first and second servants invested wisely and were able
to present profits to their master commensurate with what they had been given.
He was very pleased with them. The third one, however, although he had little
to invest, did absolutely nothing with it.
I don’t know about you, but when I read between the lines, I seriously
doubt his pleas that he was afraid of losing it, because his master was so
harsh. I think that was a shallow (and impolitic) excuse for doing nothing with
his part. Zero. Nada. If they had X-boxes or Facebook in those days, I would
absolutely attribute all of the use of his time his master was away to one of
them.
Of course, the master was displeased and threw him out.
Solomon, on the other hand, was entrusted with the greatest
portion of wisdom ever known to have been imparted to a human being.
Consequently, he gained fame and fortune beyond anyone. He had one major
warning from God, to protect his priceless mind and all its workings---to stay
away from the pagan women, who would turn his heart against God. He failed, and it was his downfall.
The third servant had a small chance—yet still a solid
chance—to win his master’s favor and perhaps find the path to promotion and
respect, and he did not use that small portion to accomplish it. His attitude
undermined him. Solomon had unlimited
opportunity for greatness in every aspect with mammoth-sized wisdom, but his
wandering eyes turned him into a single-man chain of fools.
The lesson is this: when it comes to determining what we are
capable of, we cannot separate “attainability” from “ accountability.” What you COULD do and what you WILL do will
lead to entirely different results.
As you measure your gifts, and tally up your opportunities,
don’t forget to pay attention to your weaknesses. Know them. If you can’t conquer
them (yet), avoid them. Be ambitious with your goals, but be “real” about
yourself—and be assured accountability will come into play on the path to success or failure.
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