Our Storm, or His Talents?

I've posted a few times recently, about a hard time that Matt and I have been experiencing.  Thanks for listening.  A few weeks ago, at church, I was encouraged by the testimony of a fellow member and friend who spoke of our financial responsibility before the Lord, and how she was raised and taught about giving.

I'll paraphrase, but what she explained was that from a very young age she was taught to do 4 things with her money.  The first and most important was to give her money back to God (Mal 3:8; Prov 3:9,10), the second was to save some, the third was to choose a way to give it away, and the last was the money she could spend on herself.

Our friend quoted the parable of the talents.  "For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance.  But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away."

I'm embarassed to say that I have been focusing so much on what we have versus what we need, that I have forgotten how to give it away.  I see little further than our bills to pay and our tithe to the church and forget that we have so much.  I am like the "wicked and slothful servant" who has hidden the talents God gave him, in the ground because of fear.  I've been looking at all of this as a trial for us, a struggle and working so hard to "praise him in this storm", while I type on my sofa, in my house, in a room (of many) with books and toys and food and piles of clothes waiting to be folded.

The servant who hid his talents in the ground, when questioned by his master said "Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground."  I want to do well with what the Lord has trusted us with.  I want to be free from greed, from want of money, from wealth.  I can't believe how much we have.  With all of that how can I forget that the Lord has plans for us, to prosper us, and not to harm us.  To give us a hope and a future (Jer 29:11), and that He is not a hard man.

One more link to share and leave you with.  Just one way of giving away, that I was able to read about this week.